Divorced, In Love And Miserable
by NaomiGScorcher
Summary: AU where Percy and Annabeth are actors Logan Lerman and Alexandra Daddario - but what happens when they fall out of love, and where does that leave their daughter? story also on wattpad by @giathebored (me) as a logandra story
1. Just A Piece Of Paper

Percy looked over at his wife. He felt giddy just calling the model that. She looked so beautiful. Too beautiful. Her mahogany blonde hair, which had been braided extravagantly and peppered with daisies to hold it together, now hung like a halo, dangling down the peak of the pillow and cascading down his chest, mussed and messy and magnificent. It had been one hell of a day. He couldn't help but smile.

He woke up with a start. Eyes unfocused but desperately searching for a sign of her, a shirt, her perfume or a note. There was no such thing in the hotel room. There was however, snoring men and an assortment of liquor bottles littered around the room. Tyson, in particular, was dressed in only his boxers, his legs hanging over the arm of a single seat lounge, his fingers flinching away from the carpet whenever gravity caused his knuckles to brush the short furry fabric. It reminded him greatly of his bachelor party, except that day he had woken up with a smile on his face and the need to puke. He only needed to puke today. And it was because of alcohol this time, not nerves. He couldn't believe he'd actually signed the papers, couldn't believe she'd actually signed them.

He sighed, it was for the best. He recalled every fight like it was yesterday.

One of them was.

/

Her voice was barely above a whisper just as her skin was barely a shade darker than white and he was acutely aware that he should be quiet too, Sophia was still sleeping. "I'm sick of sleeping on the couch! I'm sick of you acting like I'm some sort of disease, avoiding me! God, Annabethandra! We used to be in love!" her name tasted sour in his mouth, he was so used to calling her by a nickname, and he resented the tears that threatened to spill over onto both of their cheeks.

"It's kind of hard to avoid you when you're never here." Her blue eyes, the ones he had fallen madly in love with, were a steel colour, and her voice of honey had a stone hard edge to it. But she wasn't backing down.

"Oh yeah?" he yelled, "Well it's kind of hard to love someone who won't let you." He didn't mean it. But he said it anyway. And he recognised the fleeting look of betrayal on her high cheekbones and plump lips. He wanted to kiss her. But he walked away instead. To their room to pack his bags. A familiar routine. Too familiar. It had become second nature to him, going to a hotel for the night after a he and his wife fought.

His hand found a Dijon mustard postage envelope in his bedside table, he'd gotten it on a whim, never daring to use it. But now, angered by the heat of the moment, he was prepared to wave it in his wife's face.

He heard her dainty footsteps change pace once her bare feet made contact with the soft carpet, she stood, silent, but he could hear her. The beat of her heart, loud in her chest, the ruffle of paper as she let go of it to wipe her eyes and returned her fingers to it, and he could hear her sniffles. They broke his heart the most.

He turned on his heel to face her, the tingling pain of carpet burn on his heel ignored when he saw the yellow-orange of the A4 envelope in her hands, mirroring the one he held in his own. He half smirked, they'd always thought alike. But this was quickly replaced by a wince, a mental flinch. If what she had was what he had…

He rested his own papers on his open suitcase and snatched Annabeth's tenderly from her hands. He trusted her father more than he trusted his dad's lawyer, which was a testament to how close their families were and the fact that her father had his own law firm, but mostly the first one.

He signed where it was necessary and printed his name beneath his signature, just as she had done to the left of his. His hand was steady as he wrote the familiar cursive swirl, and his arm moved of its own accord when he threw the paper onto the bed. But his fingers twitched and his heart ached once he had let go of the foreboding paper, when the phrase 'signed my life away' had never been more true.

Annabeth wouldn't meet his eyes, for which he was glad, seeing her heart break was worse than experiencing his own heart break. But by the same token, her eyes would have drawn him in and he would have apologised like he knew he should have. Her eyes trained in the pen in his hand, she watched that too leave his hand and fly to the covers spread over the bed, like she couldn't believe he went through with it, like she didn't recognise the man before her anymore. And before he could gather her in his arms and apologise into her coconut scented locks like he would have before, she thrust out her hand towards him.

Their eyes connected.

But there was not a trace of love in either of their eyes.

Annabeth was holding all of her emotions back, but he couldn't blame her, he was just surprised by how good her poker face was.

Curious, he tentatively reached his hand out to meet hers, careful not to let their fingers brush. Once she saw that he was at a satisfactory distance from her hands her fist unfurled and she placed an object in his hand. His fist closed around it immediately, as if he was afraid she would snatch it back, he managed to sneak a peek before he stuffed it in his pocket and he had to gulp.

It wasn't an object.

It was _the _objects.

In his hand was a jade and diamond encrusted sliver band and a romantically engraved gold band.

Her engagement ring and her wedding ring.

And he couldn't stop the next sentence from flowing from his mouth. "What, don't I get the promise ring back?"

Something flashed in Annabeth's eyes, making her seem wild, similar to a caged animal. It was a cross between hurt and proudness that he'd finally stood up to her, which was cancelled out by the hurt. She turned and wordlessly rummaged through a paddle pop stick jewellery box made by their four year old daughter. She paused to examine the ring momentarily, to smile fondly at it, or to regret parting with it, or to thank the heavens she wouldn't have it anymore, Percy would never know because instantly she was approaching him and handing over the silver band that formed the word 'love.'

Right before it fell into his open hand, she snatched her hand back, thinking. "Keep your stupid ring," she shoved it at him, "but I keep my daughter."

Percy's lips parted like he wanted to argue but he couldn't form the words, which was true. Right now he wanted to stuff himself in his suitcase and cry until he died of sadness. "That's not up to you." Even he could hear the vulnerability in his pathetic attempt to cover up that he had overlooked that he had a child he wanted to father.

Annabeth smiled unkindly, "No, it's up to my lawyer." She needn't notify him which of her parents she would employ, either way he didn't stand a chance, nor would he ever be able to be anything but ashamed if and when he was in her parent's presence from now on.

He pushed past her, rolling his suitcases behind him, past the mountain of stuffed animals he liked to watch his daughter be the puppet master of. He hesitated when he neared the door, switching the arm his jacket was draped over.

"Are you going to say 'goodbye' to your daughter or are you going to leave me to explain why her father's gone?" Annabeth's voice rang, reverberating around the pristine white living room, "Again."

Percy turned slowly, catching sight of Levon, their nearly ten year old (in human years) dog, slumbering peacefully in his basket. His words were spoken harshly but he didn't care anymore. "I _was_ going to put my stuff in my car before I said 'goodbye,' she usually only sees me with one suitcase."

Annabeth's eyebrows were raised in disbelief, her perfectly plump lips forming an 'O' like she was about to apologise for jumping to conclusions. He didn't let her. "Is that alright with you?" Annabeth's features immediately darkened at the spite in his tone.

"Daddy!" came a high pitched squeal, and Percy nearly overbalanced with the extra weight on his legs. He bent down.

"Hey, Sophie!" his smile was real as he hugged her tight. She looked so much like Annabeth with her blonde curls cascading down her mid-back and her pale skin, they were so similar it hurt.

"You're leaving again?" her eyes were wide when she saw his bags. Percy just nodded, not pulling out of their embrace despite her giggly squirming against him. "Were you going to say 'goodbye?'" her green eyes implored.

He was standing now, her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms wrapped around his neck, their foreheads rested together. Percy playfully nudged his nose against his daughter's. She giggled again. "Of course not."

"When will you be back?" her naivety and her innocence was killing him. He crinkled his nose at her and kissed her cheek.

"I'll be here if you need me, 'kay?" she nodded vigorously, "Be good for your mother, okay baby girl?" again her head bobbled and again he kissed her, this time on her forehead. He could feel Annabeth's eyes on him, watching intently for him to make a wrong move. He hugged his daughter close again, his knees on the cold tiles that he could feel through his jeans. "Alrighty, bye Soph." he ruffled her wavy blonde locks and pulled down the hem of her pyjama flannels. They all knew he was stalling.

"Bye daddy, come home soon." That broke his heart more than Annabeth had. He nodded absently and pulled open the door, leaving his key on the table beside it.

/

That was yesterday. The day he had a wife, a daughter, a home, a dog and happiness.

Today, all he had was a daughter his wife didn't want him to see and a hangover.


	2. Sentimental Settlement

Percy couldn't quite remember the last month. He remembered saying things he never should have and holding back the phrases that would've ensured a happily ever after. He remembered the pain. And he remembered the innocence on his daughter's face when he told her he loved her and she didn't say it in return.

That scene had replayed endlessly on the hotel room walls and when he squeezed his eyes to make it go away, all he could hear was his wife's villainous tone, "No, it's up to my lawyer."

He had barely gotten up nor gone out during the last month. He couldn't contact his daughter without facing Annabeth, something he wasn't prepared for. And he couldn't go to his mother about it, after all, her husband - his father - had done the same thing.

Of all the things in his life he regretted, this was it.

Leaving Annabeth a single mother, and over a petty fight as well. Leaving his daughter, especially now that Tyson had antagonised him with the fact that girls without fathers were more susceptible to dating 'father figures' and older men starting at a younger age than most as if they were compensating. And he had become his father, something he had sworn he would never do. He had even put it in his vows.

He tried to sober up that day. He had made a bad habit of drinking himself unconscious because alcohol numbed the pain, but to do that it had to numb his brain, and if he stayed half-conscious whilst drunk he would have called Annabeth, he couldn't handle that. Or he would've called his sister - who would've called his mother - or his mother, and he couldn't handle her disappointment. But today he was going to see Annabeth and one of her parents and possibly Sophia - but probably not - at the Arbitration hearing (most divorces don't go to court). And he wanted to look his best, not to show Annabeth that he didn't need her because right now he did, but to win him points with the arbitrator, who would ultimately decide on how often he saw his daughter.

He showered and dressed in a suit, raking his cropped brown hair back, bothering more than he usually did with it but still not being able to do much. And then collected the papers he needed for the hearing and his last bag of possessions before driving to his newly purchased apartment.

It had been a weird experience, buying the apartment. He'd only ever done it once before, with Annabeth, he had been eighteen at the time and that apartment had quickly become theirs not just his. And this one was almost an exact replica.

And it was superfluously weird now, he had paid the delivery men extra to actually place the furniture where he wanted it, not just in the living room, so now the apartment looked like he had been living in it - instead of the hotel - for the last month.

He looked at the clock on the microwave in the kitchenette directly across from the front door. Its numbers in a glowing alien green read 12:30. He ran his hands through his hair, ruining his twenty minutes of flustering over it, taking deep breaths. It was now or never and he seriously wished for the latter or a genie to get rid of this mess. Time travel to when Annabeth loved him didn't count as making someone fall in love, did it?

He locked up and got in his car, a steel blue Mazda, steeling himself for the disapproving look he was going to get from whichever parent Annabeth decided to employ and for her poker face.

Percy met his lawyer - his dad's lawyer - at the building and they rode up in the elevator in complete silence save for the hint of muzak playing faintly through the speakers. The man was tall, towering over him. And his pinstripe suit seemed to add to his height like an illusion. His mop of brown hair flopped lifelessly across his grey sideburns in a greasy heap – at least that was proof that it was real, but still Percy couldn't look at it. For a forty year old man, the lawyer was butt-ugly. The doors opened after a lifetime of awkwardness and Percy could hear his little girl from all the way down the pristine white hall of pompous titled offices.

"I want daddy! I hate you! You made him leave!" Sophia was squirming her hand out of Annabeth's, both girls had their backs to him but Richard Chase saw him coming, smiling sadly in greeting.

Annabeth let go of her daughter's hand in shock, her words had hurt and Percy wanted to assure her that Sophia didn't know what she was talking about. But he didn't. Annabeth collapsed into the seat beside her, her head in her hands. "I can't do this, Dad, I can't," he could hear her voice catch in her throat from halfway down the hall, it echoed a bit, "I can't do this without him."

Richard Chase pulled Sophia to his side and together they stood beside Annabeth, her father telling her she could and that she was doing great.

"I'm sorry, mummy," Sophia hugged her mother, "I just miss daddy. I didn't mean it. I love you, really."

Annabeth smiled, tears escaping her closed eyes. "I know you do sweetie. I miss him too."

The scene played out before him, simultaneously disheartening him and making him feel wanted – a feeling he hadn't felt since he had signed his life away.

Percy turned to his lawyer, "Matthew, don't use that against her when we get in there." He was referring to his daughter's tantrum, seriously scared by the glint in the legal professional's eyes.

Matthew looked over at him, "Okay. One question though, why'd you leave her? She's beautiful."

Percy's only answer was, "I know."

"Do you mind if I-"Percy cut him off with a glare. Of course he would mind if his lawyer dated his wife.

"Chase." Matthew called out to Richard, workplace recognition and respect in his tone.

"Jones." Percy's father-in-law shook Matthew's hand, "It's good to see you. How're-" Percy couldn't hear the rest of the conversation, he was deafened by a squeal and a flying hug. He twirled his daughter around with her momentum and laughed for the first time in what felt like forever.

"See mummy. I told you he'd be back." Sophia said from her perch on his hip. Annabeth smiled like she really had been outshined by her daughter but all Percy registered was that Sophia wasn't fully understanding the gravity of the situation.

He didn't want to ruin her hopes, so Percy just laughed and hugged her tighter still. "How have you been, Soph?" he was bouncing her up and down now, like he used to when she was crying in the middle of the night. He was unsure of who it soothed more now, Sophia or him.

"Mummy and I have been looking at schools." And she would have sounded so grown up except she spoke without confidence. "I don't want to pick a school without you. But mummy and I found this really good school with a vegetable garden and goats and everything. But none of my friends are going there. Then we found this one with-" Percy was just smiling and nodding absently whenever her voice raised an octave. He had taken a seat at some stage during Sophia's speech, the seat beside Annabeth. It hurt to be so close to her, but he couldn't white out his signature. It was too late for that.

His gaze drifted to her, she was watching Sophia's features light up when she spoke and that seemed to be enough for her, she didn't even seem fazed by her outburst earlier, and she clearly wasn't affected by his presence. At least, that what it looked like to him.

Annabeth looked to him and he nearly fell out of his seat. She was smiling. At him. Her clear blue eyes were cloudy and bloodshot, he could see that now, and the bags beneath her eyes were a deep shade of purple like she hadn't slept. And he was struck by her beauty, despite the loneliness that was etched on her face.

He would not-long-later relive this moment and wonder why neither of them caved in to the other, why neither of them apologised for the pain they'd caused the other and themselves. But no sooner than he'd opened his mouth, they were called into the arbitrator's office and introductions were made.

"So I believe there was no pre-nuptial agreement made, is that correct?" Judge Brian Stewart asked and Annabeth replied in the affirmative. Percy gulped and nodded, both her parents had told them it would probably be best if they did when they'd heard of their engagement, considering the fact that both of them were high profile actors, however they had both had protested, thinking they'd never need it, after all, they survived rumours and Amy Vader.

The aging Richard Chase stood tall, straightening his black suit jacket. He cleared his throat. Percy had never seen him work, but he knew he specialised in criminal law where he was ruthless. "My client, Annabethandra, has brought forward this marriage annulment as she believes her husband has been neglecting her and their daughter, however, she does not wish for him to never see his child." He sat back down, his grey hair following a heartbeat later.

Percy felt the weight of the world lift from his shoulders. When the judge had asked both lawyers for the reason of their divorce and their wishes for their divorced life, Percy had been worried Annabeth would never let him see Sophia. In fact, that had been his only fear. Well, that and Annabeth replacing him. Richard may have used extremely emotive and harsh language to describe their situation to persuade the judge, but it still hurt to hear.

Percy looked at Annabeth. She wouldn't meet his gaze. Sophia was fidgeting with her dress and the Velcro of her sandals on a chair in the corner of the room.

Matthew stood next, Percy nodded to him. "My client admits that as the truth and concedes that all he wants from the divorce is to be in his daughter's life." He pushed a manila folder towards the judge, sliding it across the table. "Here he has provided legitimate documentation of his new apartment, stable job and income." He sat back down.

The judge took his time examining the paperwork and then signing three legal documents and sealing them with a rubber stamp and blood red wax seal.

"It is my understanding that Sophia will be starting school in the coming months." At mention of her name, Sophia perked her head up and smiled.

"That's true your honour." Annabeth ducked her head in respect after she had finished her sentence.

"Miss Chase," the name tugged at Percy's gut, he hadn't heard it in a while, "as you will have majority custody, you may pick the school as you see fit, and she will stay with you during the week." She nodded.

He looked at Percy, "Mr Jackson, you have proved to be self-sufficient and wanting of your role as father enough, you will retrieve your daughter from the school of your ex-wife's choosing every Friday afternoon and personally drop her off on Monday morning." Percy nodded not believing his luck and hating the 'ex' in front of 'wife.'

"In the best interest of the child, neither of you need to agree with each other, however you must be civil, and Mr Jackson, Miss Chase' s decisions are now law." Percy nodded again, that wasn't too different to their married life.

"Please, all four of you sign here that you have agreed to these terms, if you do not hold up your conditions, custody may be fully removed. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Percy breathed, surprised by the weight of the antique pen as it scratched on the paper. He didn't get such a bad deal after all. Now he just had to unpack in wait of Sophia's arrival in two months.

"Then you are dismissed." The lawyers and the judge shook hands, and before Annabeth could leave without another word he rushed to Sophia and kissed her.

"Hey Soph, what colour do you want your room to be?" he asked, she whispered her answer into his ear. "That's very specific, is that your favourite colour?"

"No," she shrugged, "it's the colour of mummy's eyes, I need her to get to sleep sometimes. I think it might help, and it's pretty." She bit her thumbnail and Percy pulled it out of her mouth.

"It sure is." He had to agree.

He could hear, in the silence that ensued, Annabeth and her father's hushed conversation. "Don't be cruel, Annabeth," Percy's jaw nearly dropped off, since when had she been unkind? Let alone cruel. "That girl needs a father." Richard hugged his daughter and granddaughter goodbye, nodding curtly at Percy and walking off, leaving the ex-lovers and the product of their love alone.

He didn't even notice Annabeth behind him, until she spoke, "I'll email you her school's details when we've decided."

Percy nodded, wanting to say more.

"Bye daddy, I love you." Sophia waved, one hand in Annabeth's. And he smiled as his daughter walked away. It was almost enough to cancel out the previous month of pain. Almost.


	3. First Days And First Dates

Percy had been checking his email restlessly and diligently for the last few months waiting for a word from his ex-wife. He knew school was going back at some point in the next ten days, he just didn't know when, nor what school. He didn't know if his daughter already had friends there or if she liked it. He didn't know if it required a uniform, he knew he had to pay 50% of Sophia's education fees and knew Annabeth would pick someplace prestigious with good academic references.

He refreshed his inbox.

From: WiseGirl

To: SeaweedBrain

Subject: Sophia's school

Attachment: JPEG, PDF, JPEG

Percy,

Sophia has finally decided on the school she will attend. School will commence on the 1st September at 9am sharp. Your attendance on such date is required. I have enclosed a screenshot of the address and the latest school newsletter.

Also, Sophia wanted to show you her uniform, that image is also attached.

See you on the first,

Annabeth.

Percy immediately opened the image and choked. There was his baby girl in a navy blue plaid skirt extending to her knobbly knees, her white socks were rolled down to her ankles and slipped inside polished black leather buckle up school shoes. Her white blouse was tucked into her skirt at the waist as if it was too big and the navy wide brimmed draw string hat sat on her head nearly falling over her huge smile as she stood against the wall.

He printed the image.

From: SophiaChase16

To; SeaweedBrain

Subject: Email Address!

Hi Daddy,

Mummy's typing this for me as I tell her what to say.

Did you see me in my uniform?

Are you coming for my first day?

When do I get to see my new room?

Sorry, I'll just get her to call.

Before he had time to comprehend the message or the fact that Annabeth had changed Sophia's name, the phone rang. Annabeth's ringtone, their wedding song. He needed to change that. Or better yet, get Sophia a phone, that way he could talk to her without Annabeth's watchful eye. As he answered with the ever comical, "Yellow?" he saved her email address in his contacts.

"Hiya daddy. So you saw my picture?" it was good to hear the innocence of her voice.

"I did sweetie. It gorgeous, you look beautiful." He didn't even need to think about it.

"Mummy was being mean, not typing what I wanted to say, so I took her phone." She giggled as if she was running. Maybe Annabeth was chasing her. "I wanted her to write 'I love you and I miss you' because I do. Except, I'll only love you if you come on Thursday for my first day."

Percy laughed, "Okay, sweet pea I'll be there."

"Mummy, no! I don't even know what 'speaker' is." Percy smiled fondly, just listening to the changes in his daughter's voice as she told him of every little thing she and her mother had done that week. It was almost the same way they had communicated before the divorce. "And then the lion roared, like RRAAWWR!" At which point Percy moved the phone from his ear in order to keep his hearing, noticing the time as he did so.

"Soph," he interrupted, "it's time for bed, sweetie." Despite her protests she eventually hung up and Percy was left with an all too familiar sensation - loneliness.

So he called in a favour from an old friend knowing that the time difference would work in her favour. "Hey Emma." He greeted casually. After discussing the usual pleasantries, Percy came clean. "Actual, I was calling about Amy..."

"She's in California at the moment, I can give you her contact details if you like." Her posh drawl was long gone, something Percy - and the rest of the world - had found equal parts annoying and cute. (Annoying because no one else quite had it despite wanting too) He blamed her American boyfriend for that.

"That'd be great." Maybe his only company wouldn't be misery anymore.

Thursday rolled around too quickly and Percy wasn't sure he was ready for it. He'd googled the directions and found the school website. 'Saint Augustine's Primary School' looked as pompous as it sounded, except it was only small, with about four hundred students or so.

It was equally accredited for its academic aspects as it was for its life skills and common sense teachings, and its music department was highly acclaimed. It figured, music was by far their daughter's favourite thing. She got that from both her parents.

He showered and found that it wasn't so strange to do that alone anymore, he didn't feel like he was empty anymore, even though the bathroom didn't have a second toothbrush, shampoo or hairbrush. He was used to it now, he thought morbidly as he buttoned up his dress shirt. It was his only child's first day of school and he thought he should dress up for the occasion. That and he was meeting Amy Vader for lunch.

Percy was not sure which one he was more nervous for.

Annabeth and Sophia are already waiting at the school gates when he jogged in. It was 8:55 and Percy wished he practiced the route in school traffic hours because in it, it was fifteen minutes longer and he was almost late.

Annabeth was crouched by Sophia's side, wiping her tears and helping her blow her nose. "No, sweetie, don't say that. He still has time. Your dad will be here, I promise."

That's when he decided to make his presence known. "Soph, why all the tears, baby?"

He could her gasp as she threw the tissue to the ground and pushed past her mother. She hugged him enthusiastically, forgetting her doubts.

That's when the bell rang.

He kissed her one last time and wished her luck before the hard part came, letting her go. She rushed to her mother and he walked half a pace behind them as they waltzed closer to the school.

His ex-wife was in full worried mother mode, double and triple checking Sophia had everything she needed for her first day as her daughter rolled her excitedly shining eyes and bounced on the balls of her feet before Annabeth finally let her go. "I love you honey, be good." With one final wave and a blown kiss, Sophia was lost in a sea of other students - new and old - and Percy could feel Annabeth's incredulous gaze on him. He faced her, raising an eyebrow as if to question her gaze. Her lips puckered and puffed out as she shook her head, "I didn't think you'd show."

Percy clenched his jaw, resenting her comment, "Just because I don't love you doesn't mean I don't love Soph." he turned and walked away from her, not waiting for a reaction.

He closed himself in his car with a huff and wiped his sweaty palms down his face in frustration. He didn't want to be so flustered for his date. He started his car with a single angry motion and powered on his way, loving the feeling of having a destination, of knowing his purpose – for now.

He got to the restaurant early and waited out the front beneath a golden awning until she blew in. Her floral summer dress wafting in the breeze and smacking against her knees. He smiled and held the door open for her.

"I've been looking forward to this for a while." Was the first thing Amy said.


	4. What They All Forgot To Mention

"I actually couldn't believe it when you called. I thought you'd forgotten about me." The pretty brunette admitted as Percy pulled out her chair for her. He had, but he wasn't about to tell her that as she smoothed the back side of her white, half lace dress so that she could sit down and not crease the fabric or lack thereof. "But I suppose you couldn't make contact, after all, your girlfriend got pregnant and you just _had_ to marry her. But it's not medieval times anymore, you didn't have to."

Percy shook his head in shock. "That's not what happened."

"That's what the papers said." She replied cockily, her face tilted at the wrong angle, allowing the sun to hit her pale cheeks and highlight the mountain of foundation she had added to lift the colour from vampiric to made-up corpse.

"Look," Percy gulped, "I came here to start something," he tried not to cringe, "possibly to finish what we started all those years ago, not to dig up the past and riddle my ex-wife's name with dirt." Percy admitted, surprised my how much he cared as he picked up his menu. He remembered what the tabloids had said about their relationship, especially seeing as he and his ex-wife, who were both high-profile actors, didn't have a huge wedding ceremony - just their immediate family - and then Sophia came along eight months later. But that shouldn't have been connected. Percy only found out about her the night of the wedding and she was premature as well.

But that wasn't the issue here. The real elephant in the room was that he had cheated on his ex-wife with this woman. A one night stand in a dingy London hotel that he had confessed to Annabeth the morning after. He was still clueless as to why he did it, had he saw the resemblance between the women and in a drunken haze mistaken them or had something more than alcohol been added to his beer. He still felt bad about it now, almost as unscrupulous as he had felt back then, when he and Annabeth had been discussing how much fun it would be to get a house together. The house that had been half built when he cheated, and renovated when they wed. Somehow his ex-wife had forgiven him even though he hadn't forgiven himself, he still hadn't.

"But it's true that you have a kid with her?" Amy's hand rested atop his as if she was consoling him. As if he regretted it. Regretted Sophia and his marriage which made up nearly half his life. It was a topic he thought about regularly and each time he made the same conclusion, he wouldn't have wasted so much time on those two women if not for love.

"Is that a problem?" there was more malice in his voice than either of them expected.

"Of course not, I just want to know what I'm getting into." And that was the last they spoke of Percy's daughter and his past. But he wanted to tell her she shouldn't worry. He didn't plan on this becoming too serious. And either way, Sophia was still young and didn't understand the terms and conditions that accompanied the word 'divorce,' she was still heavily reliant on her parents and exposing her to his dating life was not something he planned on doing. At least, not until he was definite that he would eventually propose.

Percy felt empty when they said their goodbyes, and if that wasn't proof that he didn't want this, what was?

Percy stopped at a hardware store on his way home knowing exactly what he was looking for. He had blown up an image of his ex-wife's eye and now held it in his hands on an A4 page. "Can I get two pots of this colour, please? I don't quite remember its name."

The acne riddled teenager he was talking to yawned and nodded. "Just give us fifteen minutes." Percy's own head dipped as he took a step back, "Don, new paint mix!" the adolescent yelled to a pudgy man behind him who was reading the paper. The man who Percy assumed was christened Don, sighed absently and folded his paper methodically in half and then in half again before placing it roughly, redundantly, on the counter he stood behind and straightened to his full height now that he wasn't leaning against a workbench. To be fair, it hadn't made much difference. The teen in the green apron handed over Percy's image and Don's stocky figure scanned the isles for the colours he wanted, eventually settling on storm-cloud grey and Claire de lune.

With a sausage finger, the older, more qualified man dabbed out different ratios of each shade, mixing them and asking which one Percy wanted.

"Yeah, the third one across, thanks." Percy used his finger to point at the blob of paint - stark against the bleach white of the palate - that hauntingly resembled Annabeth's eyes.

It was 4:30 by the time he paid for the personalised paint tins and 5 o'clock by the time he got home. Flopping his keys in an exhausted huff, on the kitchen bench before breaching the halls of the apartment he was finally getting used to calling 'home.'

He stood at the edge of what was so close to becoming his daughter's room. It only needed a splash of paint and her things now.

At that moment he mourned. He wanted so badly to call Sophia and let her yak away about her day.

His father had always boasted that divorced life was great, no nagging wife no restrictions, no commitments. But he'd forgotten to mention the truth. The piece of him he felt was missing and the fact that he'd lost his child as well, not fully, but he still wasn't in her life as much as he wanted to be - and it hurt.

But he refrained from calling her. He'd have to go through Annabeth to do so. And besides, he had Sophia all weekend.


	5. Bittersweet of The Weekend

Friday seemed to drag on for a ridiculous amount of time. Nothing took Percy's attention for a period longer than fifteen minutes. He was jumpy and didn't even news coffee to wake him up. But who could blame him? He was spending the whole entire weekend with his daughter, the first since the divorce. And he was regretting not having anything too special planned.

He took his time memorizing the surroundings as he drove to pick Sophia up. But he rushed out of his car when he arrived.

He took his time admiring the dark brick work and contrasting modern architecture. He nearly had a heart attack when the bell sounded at a deafening decibel.

He smiled politely at the mother's that approached him, hoping to send the message that he wasn't here for a date, he was here for his child.

Percy caught himself smiling at the rush of children filing out of classrooms and the squeals of "mummy!" "Daddy!" He wasn't sure if one was Sophia calling him or not so he just stood smiling, his hands deep in his front jean pockets, staring out at the mass. "Mummy!" "Daddy!"

That's when he was hit. He stumbled backward and hit the wall, hid arms flying around the object protectively. He laughed. "Hey Soph." He took her bag from her shoulders, it seemed to be the same size as her and it hung strangely on her skinny frame as if she was not yet used to it.

He swung it over his own shoulder, the straps keeping it too small for him, and he lifted his daughter onto his hip with his other arm, careful to keep her skirt tucked beneath her bottom as she sat on his forearm. "How's school?"

Sophia didn't stop explaining every detail until they pulled into his apartment building's garage. She told him about Mitchel, the annoying boy that sat next to her, Mrs Kowinski, who reminded her of her grandmother - Percy didn't ask which one - and Gabby, who had burst into tears on their first day when she had broken the green pencil Sophia had lent her and apparently was now her best friend.

Percy helped her unplug her seat belt and held her hand all the way to the elevator, introducing her to the man in the lobby.

"Lenny, this is Sophia, my daughter. Sophia, this is my friend Lenny."

The middle aged man crouched to level with Sophia. He poked her nose. She giggled. "Your father's told me a lot about you, Sophia, it's nice to finally meet you." He held out his hand, as if asking for a handshake, but Sophia was four, on the verge of five, and she slapped his hand as if beginning a secret handshake.

As they retreated to the elevator, Percy told Sophia which button to press and she gave a full handed wave to Lenny, whip returned it as the door closed and separated them.

"Daddy," Sophia broke the silence, "why don't you live with mummy anymore?" She was looking up at him and holding his hand. He saw the genuine curiosity on his daughter's features when his gaze met hers and he didn't quite know what to say.

He gulped. He licked his lips. Maybe he didn't know the answer himself.

"It's just that, mummy say 'that it was for the best, that it wasn't working.' But what does 'its mean?"

Percy smiled, of course Annabeth would be honest. That meant he had to be honest as well. "'It' means our love. Life's not always like the fairy tales, and your mother and I, well our happy ending is you."

Sophia nodded like she understood. "She's not your true love, and you're not Prince Charming." She concluded, maintaining the fairy tale analogy. Percy wanted to protest but the elevator opened.

He showed his daughter around the apartment and she became fixated with the blankness of her room. He showed her the paint he had bought and told bed they would spend the weekend making the room hers. He began unpacking her school bag and took out the plastic bag of extra clothes Annabeth had packed, beginning to fill her drawers with them as Sophia shed her uniform and got into her pyjamas despite the early hour.

Sophia had eaten more pizza than Percy had expected. He had ordered two, Hawaiian and Pepperoni and Cheese. He had made sure to make them both the gluten free bases, at which Sophia had complained. But despite how awful she said it tasted, she had almost cleared a full four slices of the small pizzas. Percy made note of the fact she didn't like the gluten free base, he had grown accustomed to eating it for Annabeth's sake, he had even grown to enjoy it. But that stage of his life was over, and now he would bend for Sophia not Annabeth.

He has tucked her into bed at eight o'clock after watching the latest Disney cartoon on Netflix.

"Daddy," Sophia has whispered tiredly, "will you sing?"

Percy tried not to be shocked, "Of course, baby girl, what song?"

"The one mummy sings to me every night." When Percy didn't speak, Sophia supplied the words. "When you're hungry, love will keep us alive." Her voice was scratchy and odd let but still warmed his heart as the most adorable thing he'd ever heard, his daughter singing the first song he and his ex-wife had danced to as a married couple.

He cleared his throat and sang, his voice rough and whispered and deep. He sang until the song was over, even though his little girl had fallen asleep after the first chorus.

Sophia ended up waking up in the middle of the night. Percy didn't know she had done so until he heard his door creak open further than it was already.

In his sleepy haze, he could head the shuffle of Sophia's feet as they scraped against the carpet. She stood by the side of the bed for a total of three heartbeats until Percy realised what was going on, scooted backward and lifted open the covers for his daughter.

Annabeth had always laughingly scolded him for allowing Sophia to sleep on their bed with them, but he had never regretted insisting she stay, protected and safe between them as they watched the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. He did now, though, because Annabeth had been right, the co-sleeping had become a habit. But still, it was nice to feel needed.

On Saturday, both Jackson's had woken up late. Sophia had sat on the kitchen bench as Percy cooked them pancakes and they had both gobbled them down in anticipation.

Today they would paint.

Percy moved everything from the walls in Sophia's room and he made her change into her tights and one of his old shirts. He had to cut it across the stomach so that she would stop tripping over it, but it still down to her knees, the T-shirt sleeves for him cuffing her wrists. She looked adorable. The grey paint speckled in her hair and on her face from their paint fight and his old shirt absolutely soaked in the goopy substance.

But somehow, despite the liquid covering them, they finished the four walls and had enough left for him to do the roof once she was at school. Percy couldn't remember laughing as much as he had whilst painting with his daughter, despite having the occasional painful flashback to Annabeth and him painting their house when they first bought it. And he'd never heard such an angelic sound as his daughter's high pitched squeals and squeaks and snorts.

They simply lounged around on Sunday, still exhausted from Saturday.

And Percy hated Monday. He really did. He braided Sophia's hair the way he had begged Annabeth to teach him when they found out their baby would be a girl. And he kissed her for too long when he handed her over to the school. His only consolation was the list in his back pocket that they had drawn up on Sunday of everything they would be doing the following weekend.


	6. Christmas

p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"Percy honestly thanked the heavens when he realised Christmas was to be on a Friday that year. He and Annabeth were barely communicating and it ensured Sophia spent half the day with each of them. He wished that they could spend it together, not for his sake, oh no, but for Sophia's. He wanted the poor child to have both parents and not be deprived of one or the other. And despite what he had convinced Amy, the brunette he had come to enjoy the company of, he actually admired Annabeth for her agreeable response and reasoning when it came to their shared custody. She was never mad when he dropped her off at school half an hour late because they'd spent the previous night watching cartoons, perhaps because she didn't know. And she didn't reprimand him when he fed his daughter sugar and glucose and other forms of dessert goodness for breakfast and dinner and lunch even though he knew she knew about those instances because Sophia hated keeping secrets. But his ex-wife was most likely so amicable because she never really got the chance to scold him, he would drop his daughter off and pick her up from school./span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"But it was school holidays and he wasn't ready to pick her up at 3 from his old house, his ex-wife, if their emails were anything to go by, meeting her face to face would have been awkward to say the least. So he rang his mother, who would be spending the day with them. "Hi mum," he said when she picked up, "can you pick up Soph from Annabeth's at three?"/span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"He was met with laughter on the other end, as if someone had said something funny and everyone where his mother was laughed at the joke./span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;""Levon! Off the table!" Came an all too familiar voice. She sounded happy. He felt sick. He could hear Sophia giggling in the background./span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;""Where are you mum?" Percy asked after an eternity of silence from the other end. He meant 'are you there?' as in, 'still on the phone.' He did not like the answer he received./span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;""I'm at the park." Came his mother's unapologetic tone, he could hear the smiled pulling at her lips. He hummed in response, "with Annabeth and Sophia." She finished quickly./span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"Percy suddenly felt excluded, like he was missing something important. Like he wasn't important enough to be at the significant event with his significant others. "Okay," even he had to admit how small his voice sounded. "See you at three-ish."/span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"He decided to text Amy, even though she had only left a few hours before. emMISS YOU ALREADY XX/em/span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"His gaze wandered to the tree in the corner of the living room and he genuinely wished he hadn't been so organised and wrapped all of Sophia's presents already./span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"His phone lit up and vibrated across the coffee table. emTRY NOT 2 ;) JUST ENJOY UR DAUGHTERS COMPANY/em/span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"Moments later a second text came through. emSPEAKING OF, WEN DO I GET 2 MEET THIS DAUGHRER OF URS?/em/span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"Percy stalled for an answer, his thumbs hovering above the keypad, dancing and clicking every now and again as he tried to find the perfect words, the perfect time. He ended up sending: emSOON ;)/em/span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"His phone pinged in his hands again and he almost groaned at the thought of Amy's sarcastic reply and then her pleading. The 'that's not good enough,' or the 'I thought you loved me.' But in all honesty, he hadn't intended on this becoming anything permanent./span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"Reluctantly, he opened the message. /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"It wasn't from Amy./span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"emspan style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/em/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"emspan style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"HI PERCY, THIS IS ANNABETH. WE'RE AT PEPPERMINT PARK AND WERE WONDERING IF YOU WANTED TO JOIN US FOR A PICNIC. IT'S OKAY IF YOU DON'T, SOPH WAS ASKING FOR YOU THOUGH./span/em/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"Percy didn't know if he was daydreaming or what. He smiled as he reread the message, 'it's okay if you don't,' stood out the most, like she didn't blame him if he didn't show. It almost had another meaning, as if she understood that he didn't want to see her. It was sweet. So typically Annabeth that it hurt. But at the same time it taunted him, like she didn't think he wanted to or she thought he had better things to do. His screen glowed, laughing at him. 'It's okay if you don't,' he decided that there was a menacing undertone to the word, an evil ulterior motive behind the caring façade./span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"It was as if she was releasing him of his fatherly duties./span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"emspan style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/em/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"emspan style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"BIT OF A DRIVE. BY THS TIME I GET THERE IT'LL BE TIME TO LEAVE./span/em/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"He implied 'with Sophia' and he meant the malice in his words. He watched almost mindlessly as twirled his phone in his hands, he liked the fact that it took a while for her to start typing again, as if she was unsure of how to respond. He read that she was typing, a message that made him smile as if she was taking time out of her day for him. But her typing was taking way too long for the reply that he received./span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"emspan style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/em/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"emspan style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"OKAY/span/em/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"The text seemed deflated, like Annabeth wasn't sure why she tried. And he felt bad. He wanted to type 'I miss you' even though he didn't think it was fully true anymore. emMERRY CHRISTMAS /emhe sent hesitantly instead. He meant the good will, he wanted her to be happy. But he also wanted her to feel the confusion that he was feeling, the "I miss you" and the "you ruined my life."/span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"emspan style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/em/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"emspan style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"OH IT SHOULD BE. I GET TO SPEND A WHOPPING 6HRS WITH MY DAUGHTER DURING THE ENTIRE HOLIDAY./span/em/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"The contempt was evident and unmistakable in her words. It was aimed at him and he smiled sinisterly, miserably. Even via text they would fight, and if it was a fight she wanted.../span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"emspan style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/em/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"emspan style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"GET USED TO IT. NEXT YEAR CHRISTMAS IS ON SATURDAY!/span/em/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"It was cruel and uncalled for. He sent it anyway before turning his phone off and waiting impatiently for his mother and daughter to arrive. His bad mood immediately dissipating when they did. /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;""Daddy," Sophia rubbed her eyes tiredly form the other end of the couch. He didn't respond to her crawling figure save for meeting her halfway across the cushions and pulling her into his arms. /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;""Yeah, Soph." he kissed her forehead./span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;""Next year can we spend Christmas together?" her voice raised half an octave with sleep was the most adorable ting he'd ever heard, especially when she sounded as confused as she did now./span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;""Of course, sweetie." He replied, making his voice just as low as hers was high./span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;""As a family." Now it was his turn to be befuddled, but in a heartbeat he understood. "You, me and mum."/span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" /span/p  
p style="margin: 0cm; margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 150%;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"Percy swore to himself as he vowed next year would be different. "Sure." But he wasn't really./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Angsana New';" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Verdana',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Angsana New';" /span/p 


	7. Five

For Percy, Sophia's birthday has always been bitter sweet. She was so happy and excited that the fact she was growing up so fast almost didn't bother him. And the date, 14/2/2016 was inconvenient as she got older and he wanted to take his wife out somewhere romantic, or they could stay in, either way it never really mattered because they never did celebrate Valentine's Day. But on the day she was born it was simultaneously the most terrifying and exciting, deliberate and surprising gift. One that he and Annabeth had given each other.

This year the date fell on a Wednesday and both his daughter and his ex-wife had emailed him about the party she was having on the day, after school. Annabeth's had simply been an invite, once again forgiving him in advance if he didn't show, as if she was expecting him to miss the occasion. Sophia's, on the other hand, begged him to be there and was adorably riddled with spelling and grammar errors, indicating she had typed it herself and highlighting exactly what he was paying for with the large sums he forked out each term. How could he refuse?

Percy pulled into the driveway at four o'clock on the dot. He had spent the entire day psyching himself up for this. He ignored the roses in the garden, he didn't want to remember how much fun he had had when he and Annabeth had planted them together. Staining perfectly clean shirts with dirt and grim, presenting roses like bouquets of flowers and waltzing in the mud until they tripped over each other as it started to rain.

He rang the doorbell.

Annabeth answered.

She wasn't wearing any makeup. In fact, she looked plain in her jeans and blouse. And a stupid looking party hat sat atop her head. Pushing the soft blonde ringlets of her side part awkwardly across her forehead.

He'd never seen anyone so beautiful.

He shook his head, disgusted at himself.

"You came?" She sounded surprised, both of them staring at each other in the doorway. Percy pushed past her and was tackled by his daughter. He could hear the squeals of five or six other children coming from the backyard and the familiar yap of Levon, who was no longer the pup he bought for his girlfriend on their four year anniversary. He also registered the sound of splashing and he vaguely remembered Sophia telling him they had gotten a pool over Thanksgiving.

He kissed her and handed her a present. A bracelet. She kissed his cheek excitedly and he whispered, "There's more for you at home." as he helped her put the silver bracelet on. He pushed her gently, encouraging her to go outside and join her friends.

Percy was about to follow her when the doorbell rang and Annabeth yelled from the kitchen, "Percy, could you get that, please?"

He was about to say 'no, not my house' when he saw the piping bag in her hands and the small shine of sweat collecting on her forehead. He stole a glimpse of the cake she was decorating and raised his eyebrows at its extravagance and the detail that had gone into the piping of the pirate ship rigging, Tinkerbell and the dolphins in the surrounding water. He watched for a moment as her steady hand outlined the unfinished waves before he moved to the door, opening it, still amazed that she could produce something so illustrious.

At the door, poised to press the doorbell again, was a man holding a bouquet of orchids. Even Percy could tell the man was handsome with his sharp jaw, tanned skin and close cropped hair. Percy also recognised him as childless and instantaneously knew why he was there.

The sudden urge to slam the door in his face was overwhelming.

"Who're you?" The man asked, clearly confused.

"Who're you?" Percy mimicked. The man sighed and Percy smirked that he hadn't put up a fight.

"Eric Sommers. I'm in Annabeth's class." He held out his hand for Percy to shake. He didn't.

_Class? What class?_

"And you are?" Eric implored.

Percy looked smugly at him, preparing his title as 'father of the child,' but Annabeth interrupted, half full piping bag still in hand.

"Eric?" She asked from behind Percy. Percy moved, flattening himself against the door frame, surprised by the excitement in his ex-wife's voice. "What're you doing here?"

Eric scratched the back of his neck nervously, "I was going to ask you out, seeing as its Valentine's Day and all. But its Sophia's birthday. I forgot. I'm sorry." He thrust the orchids toward her, Percy still standing in the doorway.

Annabeth took them graciously, a pink tinge dusting her cheeks as she smelt the flowers, a sight Percy used to love seeing. She looked past Percy to Eric giving Percy the strange sensation of uselessness. He had never felt more miserable or invisible. "Maybe on the weekend we can go to lunch of something." She suggested, making Eric smile with his stereotypical full set of pearly whites that had probably cost his parents an arm and a leg, seeing as he looked like a jock too.

Annabeth looked like she was about to invite the man in and Percy was about to blatantly tell him to leave. But Eric got there first.

"How about Friday after class?" Annabeth nodded, smiling widely. Percy looked on, disbelieving. It had taken her months to say 'yes' to him, to be fair though, he had been a seventeen year old weed without a hint of muscle and she had been a goddess in jeans of age twenty-two. "I should go though, it would be weird for Sophia to meet me." Percy nodded, Annabeth waved dreamily.

"Nice guy." Percy muttered to Annabeth like he didn't approve as he shut the door behind him but Annabeth seemed to be in another world, consumed by the bouquet before her and the piping bag in her hand. He hated that this Evan person was a nice guy. It made it so much harder to hate him.


	8. COLD, SOOTHING AND COMPETITIONS

It was halfway into the school public holidays when that fateful day arrived.

Annabeth's birthday.

Percy was prepared, mentally, to overlook the day, the significance of the person, in his mind, it belonged to. But fate was unkind.

On that Friday, Percy drove carefully but quickly to his old house, parking just outside of the trimmed hedge line, pompously blocking the driveway, knowing he'd not be staying long.

The only reason Percy even parked was because of the date, because it would be utterly impolite to do anything but congratulate his ex-wife upon her turning thirty-five.

Percy dared not look at anything but the steel pattern of the flyscreen door and the wood beneath it. He dared not look beside him to the flower beds filled with row upon row of memories, nor the coble stone path he was treading on.

Upon reaching the veranda, Percy rung the doorbell and took a step away from the door – out of habit, nerves or simply because he knew the door would swing into his body if he didn't.

He made out a muffled, "coming," from behind the barrier, but he wasn't quite sure what he was expecting – that was a lie. He was expecting to see his ex-wife and his daughter embracing before Annabeth parted with her child with one last kiss to Sophia's forehead before she turned to him and told him the typical, "Take care of my daughter."

But that's not what he was greeted with. Instead, Annabeth stood at the door in grey high-waisted dress pants and a pale grey collared blouse, a ridiculously huge medallion dangling just beneath her breasts. She looked a mix between casual and flawless with her curled hair and her highlighted eyes. She seemed to smile at him frantically.

"You didn't get my message?" was all she asked as she opened the door for him.

Percy, flabbergasted, just shook his head. "Uh?"

"Soph's been sick all week. "His ex-wife didn't look at him as she walked to the living room in front of him, Percy following like a new puppy through the spotless hallway.

"Sick?" Percy asked, but before his question could react Annabeth, both were deafened by a familiar yap and the scrapping of clipped claws on tile.

As soon as Percy heard the sound, he could feel those claws digging in to the calves of his jeans, thankfully not long enough to cut his skin or tear the fabric.

Percy instantly bent down to greet the pale brown mutt. "Hey, bud, it's been a while." Percy ruffled his fur contentedly.

Confronted by the reasoning of their - her – ownership of the dog, Percy was glad he didn't voice his reverie.

/

As a young, madly-in-love couple, and having just moved in together, neither of them had wanted anything for their birthdays, but Percy knew that to be untrue. Hence, on the fifteenth of March, a single day early, Percy came home from a 'grocery' run with a few unexpected surprises.

"Hey Wisegirl, can you come here a minute?" Percy shouted, his voice reverberating around the next-to-bare walls.

Annabeth didn't waste a second, distressed by the urgency in is voice evidently. She was wearing a fluffy white robe she'd probably stolen from a hotel, and if he had to guess, or hope, he would say she had nothing underneath, judging by the way her hair fell in wet clumps over her shoulders. "Is everything okay?"

Percy chuckled, "Yeah." He spoke wistfully, still winded by what she was, or wasn't, dressed in. "But you might want to put some clothes on, we're going outside." He suggested.

Annabeth stepped closer to him, fully aware of her effect on him. "How far outside? Because if it's just the front yard, I think we'll be fine." She stepped past him and made her way to the front door, curiously.

Percy had to rush forward to grab the door for her, when he did, Annabeth's jaw dropped. In the front yard, circled a puppy like a maniac. She didn't even say anything, instead, Annabeth rushed back inside, making Percy wonder if he'd done the right thing. But seconds later she was back, in jeans and a tee, which made him chuckle into the kiss she planted on his lips.

/

Suddenly, Percy was all too aware of Annabeth's eyes on him, and even though she stayed silent he could feel her judgement.

"When you're done, your daughter's on the couch." His ex-wife opened her mouth before she walked off down the rest of the hallway to where the corridor spilled out into the living room and kitchen.

Percy followed a moment later to find his ex-wife crouched next to the sofa, rubbing his daughter's back. Sophia was lying on her stomach in her pink flannel pyjama pants and a blue singlet.

"Soph," Annabeth spoke kindly, Percy had almost forgotten her voice even had that quality, "Dad's here." Annabeth tried to coax Sophia up, but by the sound of her mumblings, she was protesting up a storm.

"Hey Soph," Percy came up on the other side of the couch, leaning over the back of the cushions, he flipped his daughter's brown hair out of her eyes so that she could see him, "how you feeling, sweetie?"

But only her moans answered him. Percy, not really knowing what to do, continued to pat his daughter's hair until his hand met his ex-wife's in an awkward silence where neither would meet each other's eyes. So different to how they used to interact when Sophia was sick, when he knew exactly what to do. When he would easily cradle his little bundle of joy and Annabeth would let him without a jealous or judgmental gaze.

Percy wanted to know where he stood at this point in this time, remembering the Judge's words, 'her word is law.' "What do you want me to do?" he asked, concern for his daughter lacing his words.

Annabeth looked like she was about to shrug nonchalantly, like she wanted to tell him it was up to him. "I've got a thing in an hour, so you can stay if you want, or come back tomorrow. It's up to you, really." She said, looking up at him.

"A thing with Emanuel?" Percy asked, smirking. Internally wondering why he was doing so, he didn't want to know what she was doing with another man.

"Whose Emanuel?" she asked, her eyebrows knitting together before she realised he was referring to the Eric, the guy from her teaching class, "no, it's not a date, if that's what you're thinking."

And for some reason, that made Percy smile for real. "I'll stay then, just until you come back. I'm the best baby sitter ever, so we should have fun, wont we Soph?" but his daughter didn't answer.

Annabeth eyed him warily, but smiled at the back of her daughter's head, "okay, Soph." she kissed the base of her neck for good measure. The younger woman giggled at the gesture, shrugging up her shoulders to show she felt the kiss.

Later into the hour he had to endure with his ex-wife, Percy came out of the bathroom to find his ex and his daughter laying on the couch together, their heads on the centre seat and their legs handing of the arms, Annabeth's more that Sophia's. The sound of a car horn could be heard outside.

"Alrighty honey," Annabeth sat up, swinging her legs so that she was sitting upright. "I'll be home later, okay. Be good for your father." She kissed her daughter's forehead as Sophia clung to her shoulders.

Sophia was speaking in full sentences now, obviously less exhausted after her day on the couch. "Mummy, can you tell Aunt Esther and Aunty Lindsey that I don't want a frilly pink bridesmaid dress."

Annabeth giggled at the suggestion, "Okay, sweetie." She agreed with one last kiss and a wave in Sophia's direction.

"Lindsey?" Percy asked, finding it strange that his daughter had referenced his sister as if his ex-wife would be seeing her soon.

"Yeah, Lindsey." Annabeth almost spat with pride, like she was proud of the fact that she knew something Percy didn't. "Her, Rachel, Soph and I are going to be Esther's bridesmaids."

Percy sat down on the couch beside his daughter, who slung her skinny arm haphazardly over his shoulder, "yeah, daddy, Uncle Matt and Aunt Es are getting married, didn't you know?" Percy shook his head. "Silly daddy, everybody knows."

When Annabeth got home at around eight that night, Sophia jumped off the couch, that she hadn't moved from all night, and begged her mother to show them the dress so relentlessly that she had to. And then she begged Percy to stay and watch and judge on their "fashion show."

But Percy wasn't expecting such perfection when they walked out of Sophia's bedroom.

Sophia was first, dressed in a floor length, spaghetti strapped blue dress that made her look magnificent. He kissed her cheek telling her how good she looked.

Then Annabeth emerged.

The blue fabric hugged her curves and matched her eyes. Percy stood. The fabric seemed so soft as it showed her shoulders and the tops of her breasts. His jaw unhinged. Upon request by Sophia, Annabeth twirled, the fabric curling around her ankles as it pretty much refused to move.

"Beautiful." Percy whispered, wanting so desperately to kiss the angel that stood before him. Annabeth didn't seem to hear but Sophia did, and giggled incessantly because she had.

Percy left pretty quickly after that, genuinely confused by his feelings. Sincerely wondering why he ever let such a precious relationship go to waste.


	9. beach Discoveries

Percy was excited. He hadn't been to the beach since his divorce. And today, as celebration of surviving a whole year, he was taking Amy to the beach. He didn't even bother with a shirt. The drive was long and filled with silence. It was moments like these when he wished Amy was someone else. Someone who would've chatted away with him about stupid things or sung purposely off key to make him laugh. Someone who wouldn't have her hand on his thigh the whole drive as if all she really wanted was him in the back seat instead of going to the beach. It was sunny when they got to the beach at ten a.m. The sand was already burning his toes as he hopped from foot to foot to set up the umbrella. He brought out the lemonade and clinked his can against Amy's. 29 wasn't too old for lemonade, was it? Yet Amy seemed unimpressed by the cool drink. And all he could think was: _Annabeth loved lemonade._ He put his drink down, "race you to the water?" He asked. Amy just shrugged. "I was thinking of just reading for a while." She admitted, pulling off her dress and lying on her stomach in the sun. Percy sighed. He and Amy were the exception to the rule 'opposites attract.' She hated the water whereas he and Annabeth had loved it. Percy lay on his back beside her, his hands behind his head, his sunglasses covering his bored expression and glazed over eyes. "Read to me?" Amy scoffed and turned the page and Percy almost didn't understand. Annabeth loved reading aloud. But this wasn't Annabeth. He made a mental not to stop subconsciously thinking of Annabeth. "I'm going for a walk." He said, getting up and heading north. "To the graduating class of 2021!" Came a voice he recognised. Grover Aren. He hadn't seen the blonde giant in ages and decided to say 'hello.' He got closer to where his voice had emanated from and he realised Grover wasn't alone. Under the spotted blue umbrella sat the heavily pregnant Juniper, his wife, and Simon, his six year old son. He adored the blonde family and was amazed at his luck of bumping into them. But they were clinking lemonade cans and juice boxes with none other than his ex-wife, his daughter and Evan. He wanted to turn back, but he was frozen in place. The three of them looked grossly like a poster for the perfect family. He sighed and prepared to walk on. "Daddy!" Came a squeal. The only time in living memory that he had hated the sound. He almost ignored it, but Sophia caught up to him, spraying sand in every direction as she ran. She stood in front of him in a pink summer dress and zinc dabbed across her cheeks. He let her take his hand and drag him to where the others sat, on the way he pretended he didn't know where they were sitting. "Hey," he ruffled Simon's salt and pepper hair when they reached them. "How are you guys? Didn't see you there." Grover shook his hand as an old friend did without acknowledging a time lapse in their friendship. And he hugged Juniper awkwardly, not because she was his ex-wife's best friend but because of the baby bump in between them. She laughed wholeheartedly at their predicament. "One month to go." She answered when he asked her how far along she was, half out of curiosity, half so he didn't have to see how happy Annabeth was with Evan. Or was it Elijah? He didn't care. But his stalling only covered him for so long. Eventually he had to address Annabeth. She was standing beside Sophia, the resemblance killing him. She was wearing a familiar green dress, familiar because he'd just seen it on Amy, but on Annabeth it was so much more. It hugged her curves, but billowed enough to be classified as appropriate, and it didn't hang as low or as short. He smiled meekly, turning to Grover. "What class did Evan and Annabeth take together?" He implored. "Teaching. It was a two year course." Grover didn't need to say that Percy should have known, two years meant she had started it when he was married to her. If that was true, then... Grover must have seen the look on his face, "When you were married, Annabeth took the online course. After the divorce, instead of sitting around all day, she enrolled at the university, she didn't cheat if that's what you're thinking. And his name's Eric." Percy nodded, half in understanding, half in surprise at the sudden lecture. He turned toward Annabeth and was about to ask her how she was. She looked like she was about to say something too, but her eyes darkened and she became extremely interested in the sand that caked her toes. "Percy wait." Came a feminine voice and he flinched away from her touch as she leant against his back, her head peaking over his shoulder. "Oh. My. God. You're Sophie!" "It's Sophia." Percy said just as Annabeth spoke, "Her name's Sophia, actually." He blushed profusely, hiding it by looking at the sand. His sunglasses fell from atop his head and he bent to pick them up. Only Grover saw his blush. "I'm surprised a slut like you hasn't pawned her off yet." Amy stated cockily. The silence that followed was filled with a hatred that poured off of each person beneath the umbrella. Annabeth looked ashamed, biting the inside of her lip, her eyes gazing skyward like she was trying to stop the tears. But her face hardened like she was going to throw back the insult. "Don't you dare use that language in front of my child." No one had been expecting such an un-self-defensive statement to escape Annabeth's lips, but her harsh tone implied an emphasis on the 'you' as if she was insulting Amy. Before anyone could stop her, Sophia rushed to Amy and stomped on her perfectly pedicured foot. "I don't know what 'slut' means, but my mum is not one, you are." Percy stared at his daughter, in fact, everyone stared at his daughter. Wide eyed and open mouthed. Amy stormed off, livid. Annabeth scolded her for saying such a word and Sophia promised to never say it again before rushing off to Simon's side to finish building their sandcastle on the water's edge. Percy wanted to apologise to Annabeth, she looked so hurt and proud and uncomprehending at the same time. That's when Juniper starred laughing, and it quickly caught on. "She's a keeper." Annabeth had told him laughingly but serious and Percy couldn't detect any sarcasm or malice. He bowed his head in farewell soon after that. Sophia caught him before he left. "I think mummy's found her Prince Charming." Was all she said as she gestured to Eric who was laughingly being covered in sand by Simon. Percy tried to smile, he really did. 


	10. Funeral

The summer was coming to a close, one could tell by the browning of the leaves and the cooling of the sun. Percy had made it so far without much contact between himself and Annabeth. After the Amy incident (the second Amy incident?), Percy had texted her once: _SORRY ABOUT AMY. THAT WAS OUT OF LINE._

Annabeth hasn't replied. He didn't blame her. Amy's comment had hurt her, and she'd probably drawn the conclusion that he'd been cheating on her too, which was untrue.

Eventually his mother had refused to be the middleman and pick Sophia up for him, so he had developed a system. He would honk the horn when he arrived for Sophia. He despised his system. He had always hated people who honked for a person and now he was one of them. But it was easier than ringing the doorbell and catching Annabeth in the middle of baking or folding or washing Levon. And he hated witnessing the 'goodbye' shared between the two females, the love they shared evident in the warm hugs and lingering kisses.

It was the last week of the school holidays, a Thursday to be exact, when he got a call from Annabeth. He couldn't believe his luck, even if she was just going to yell at him for spoiling their daughter or simply give him instructions.

He had been lonely lately, he had broken up with Amy after her antics at the beach and the women at the local bar may have satisfied him temporarily, but they weren't looking for permanence or stability like he was.

"Hey," he cursed himself, it was too casual for their awkward relationship.

"Percy," she sounded somewhere between broken and suicidal, but he couldn't hear the tears. "I have to take Soph to New York over the weekend. Something came up."

He was going to ask her if she was okay, but he couldn't control his voice and it came out as "okay." He wanted to ask her if she needed him to do anything. But Annabeth had hung up.

He sat alone on the couch at war with himself. A year ago he wouldn't have hesitated, he would've been by her side drying her tears in an instant. But could he be that man now? She was probably curled up beside Eric, protected by his broad shoulders and muscular arms, feeling safe and loved. The image made him sick. But he needed to know what was wrong, if not for Annabeth, he would need to comfort Sophia.

So he phoned the one person he knew would hear him out and give him a straightforward answer. Richard Chase. The phone was ringing loud in his ear but he never picked up. _Maybe he's in court._ But Percy couldn't shake the chill running down his spine. So he called Catherine. Probably the only other Chase that would give him a fair trial.

But Cat sounded worse than Annabeth had. He could hear her choking on her own tears as she told him what had happened. Percy's eyes closed in a mixture of sadness and regret. He booked his flight to New York as soon as he bid her adieu.

"My father was a remarkable man. I mean, I don't need to tell any of you that, you're all here because he touched your lives somehow." Annabeth atoned, leaning against the lectern like it was a lifesaver, she held a tissue in one hand like she knew she'd need it. She gulped. She looked skyward. "Dad was one of the few people on the planet who could read a person's emotions and turn them from suicidal to positively radiant in a single moment. His hugs were always warm and safe and his smiles were always present unless he was on the stand." People in the pews were nodding and laughing and wiping their eyes.

Percy sat at the back, in a row to himself. Annabeth saw him, their eyes met and she gave him a small thankful smile, but that could have been his tears clouding his vision or his hope clouding his mind.

"And Dad always had time for you. Even if he was busy beyond belief, he would drop everything if you showed up, or if you asked for help. I always wanted to be like my dad, kind and caring, funny and sentimental and yet carefree."

Percy had zoned out. He was mesmerized by the tiny red veins in the white of her eyes and the faint purple barely visible beneath her eyes and hidden under a thick layer of concealer. Even the double blink her eyelids did as she tried not to cry astounded him. They made her that much more beautiful, but it was probably only he - who has spent eleven years memorizing her - that even noticed.

After the service he found Sophia with Cat and gave them both hugs and kissed their cheeks telling them it'd be alright. He then went to find her.

She was standing with her mother at her father's freshly filled in grave. Both women dressed in similar black dresses that barely budged despite the breeze, the older of the two wearing a fascinator that passed for a veil of mourning.

Wordlessly, he produced a tissue packet from the inside pocket of his tuxedo and shook a single tissue free, handing it to Annabeth, her mother moving away.

Annabeth looked at him and the tissue in his hand, but he was looking at the writing on the stone.

_Richard Annabethander Chase_  
_The silent hero who will be remembered with the loudest of adoration._

He could feel her gaze on him and he vaguely registered another pair staring daggers into his back. From the corner of his eye he watched Annabeth throw the tissue behind her, the crisp white bright as the sun against the black of the mourner's and the bleak grey of the Long Island sky. It reminded him of the way she had thrown the bouquet at their wedding. Except she was smiling then.

The next thing he knew she was holding him. He turned in to her, wrapping his arms around her and letting her tears soak his lapel. His lips were by her ear and one of his hands was buried in her hair, caressing the roots, the other rested on her shoulder blades.

Her whole body shook against him and he felt useless. He knew exactly what he couldn't do, but he did it anyway.

His lips found the curve between her cheek and her ear and he kissed her there, whispering tearfully to her, "its okay. It's going to be okay." But he didn't believe it himself. Her body shifted against him and his hand slipped, finding the curve of her lower back, he was too shocked to move it and she didn't shrug him off so he didn't. Her sobs, though muffled by his chest, were getting louder.

He was about to say more when he felt a hand on his shoulder and the warmth of Annabeth's body leaving his body - by the questioning look on her face - not by choice.

His gaze left hers and met Evan's, he was standing with his hands on each of them, jealousy or anger evident on his once handsome features. "Calm down Annabeth." His tone was somewhat irritated. "He was old." He looked at her so condescendingly Percy wanted to punch him. And he would've, if Annabeth hadn't slapped him first. Hard against his jawline. She stormed off towards Sophia, who had presumably witnessed the scene like everybody else had.

Percy would've run after her but he was pushed back by Evan. Ernest? Who ran after her and - and...

Percy couldn't watch as he captured her lips with his own.


	11. Shouldn't Have

Percy sat silent in the cab with Catherine and Diane Chase, his ex-mother and sister-in-law. The younger of the two was fidgeting beside him, looking like she wanted a conversation but understandably didn't want to interrupt her mother's mourning. Both women were strikingly similar and both were hellishly beautiful. Annabeth's 'Prince Charming' had made sure to keep him and his ex-wife separate as if he was afraid of something blossoming between them.

Catherine broke the depressing silence. "You know, I prefer you to that other guy. So did dad." She wrung her hands in her lap.

Percy looked over at her, astonished. He may have blushed.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Catherine continued, one of her hands clasped in her mother's, Percy nodded. "I think we were all a bit shocked by it, why did you and my sister get a divorce? You always seemed so happy and in love."

"Catherine." Her mother scolded, smiling apologetically at Percy.

Percy gazed out at the softly falling rain. He shook his head. "The paparazzi had been on our case forever, the fans were great but even people that didn't know us voiced that our relationship was wrong." Cat looked at him, her eyes telling him what he had known all along, 'That had happened since the start of your relationship.'

"And then I was working more than ever, and we were fighting more often over the little things. And I guess, because we were always separate, we had our doubts and the fights were worse and being apart meant less time to discuss our problems. And then it just imploded." He looked at Cat dead on, "And I didn't stop it."

They arrived not long after at the Chase's Long Island house to the sound of a fight. The man, he was simmering, disbelieving, but the woman was on full boil.

The woman was Annabeth.

"How can you say that, Eric? How can you accuse me of something like that on a day like today?" Percy could see them, Annabeth's hands were thrown into the air in exasperation.

"He's your ex-husband." The man replied. "And I have a right to know where I stand."

Annabeth turned back to face him, Percy had never seen her so livid. "You're right. You're absolutely right." Percy nearly laughed, the poor guy was done for, not that Percy was complaining. He looked around and found Sophia on the trampoline, completely oblivious. _Good._ He thought.

"Get a hotel." Was all Annabeth told Eric before she walked into the house. But Eric was stubborn and followed her.

"I'm not going to a hotel after one fucking fight." Percy's smile faded. That was what he had done, all the time. "I'll sleep on the couch if I must." He conceded. Percy almost admired him.

/

They divvied out the rooms after they had eaten the pizza they ordered, but Annabeth and Diane and Catherine hadn't really eaten. They each would have their own rooms, Sophia would have Matthew's, the middle and absent child's, and Percy would have the spare, Annabeth made sure Eric took the couch with her death glare.

Diane was the first to retire to her room, followed by Cat. Percy let them be, it had been a tough week.

Sophia was yawning when he picked her up to take her to bed. He was all too aware that Annabeth was following him and Eric's eyes were trained on her every move.

He lay Sophia down and tucked her beneath the covers. Annabeth bent to kiss her and wished them both 'goodnight.' She was halfway to the door when Sophia asked a question.

"Will I ever see Grandpa again?"

Annabeth looked close to tears, Percy held her wrist. "You go do what you need to do. I've got this." He was referring to the shower Annabeth had alluded to wanting before.

Annabeth seemed dazed, her eyes not moving from his hand on her wrist. So he let her go. "Come up and tell me when you're done." She left the room, and Percy couldn't shake the feeling that her invitation held a double meaning.

He turned back to his daughter, "Now sweetie, do you remember when we buried Goldie in the backyard." Percy spoke softly as he referred to the goldfish they had bought her when she was three. Sophia nodded. "It's a bit like that. You're not going to see Grandpa again, but he'll always be with you because he loved you so much." Sophia nodded in understanding.

He stayed with her, singing to her, until she fell asleep and then some until he heard Annabeth shut off the shower in her en suite and a sufficient expanse of time had lapsed. He tiptoed out of the bedroom and passed the sleeping Eric. He may have shown his sleeping form a finger, but it was too dark to tell.

He knocked softly on Annabeth's bedroom door and was ushered in by Annabeth, she must have feared waking up the rest of the house or Eric seeing her in just a robe. At least, that's what it looked like in the moonlight cast into the open window.

Annabeth pressed herself against the door in realization of their predicament. Percy just stood in the centre of the small room - there was approximately three strides between him and his ex-wife - gazing at her.

Her figure was bathed in the moonlight from the window behind him, he could see the shine in her eyes, possibly fresh tears, and the dampness of her hair. He could also make out the vee neck of the fluffy robe she was wearing. The robe had been her father's so it was entirely too large for her. Not that Percy minded. The neckline dipped to the valley of her breasts where he could distinctly point out the different shades of her skin - but that could have been his memory filling in what the darkness hid.

He gulped down the thoughts running through his head. "Sophia's a little upset, but she's sleeping soundly now." Even Percy couldn't tell if that was a hopeful lilt in his tone.

Annabeth cocked her head to one side. The robe fell down the shoulder she had bent away from revealing that dark freckle that was usually hidden by a bra strap.

"You're sleeves are rolled up." She whispered.

Percy hadn't even realised he'd done that. He nodded stiffly.

And suddenly there wasn't three strides between them, but Percy wasn't sure who had moved. All he knew was that he was backed up against a wall and he was devouring his ex-wife's lips with his own.

"I love it when your sleeves are rolled." Annabeth mumbled against him. He knew he shouldn't be doing this but he turned them over, pressing her against the wall.

He stepped back from her intoxicating aura and he looked at her, her eyes were dark and her lips were parted as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have."

Annabeth bit her lip like she didn't agree. He couldn't stand it, he stepped closer to her. She wrapped her hands around his shirt front and collar and pulled him closer. His hands found her tiny waist in the expanse of fabric and he held her against him. Their breaths mingled until neither of them could keep up the facade.

Their lips met in a passionate scramble to apologise. Percy groaned into her mouth as she ripped open his shirt and let it drop to the floor. This was her cue to slip her hands down the length of his back and trail them up again, the tips of her fingernails scraping his skin.

Somewhere in the back of his mind Percy knew what he was doing was wrong in so many ways. But it was hard to believe that tiny piece of him when it felt so good to be pushing her into the wall as her tongue pushed into the walls of his mouth.

He was panting already and he felt the best kind of light headed when his pants dropped, leaving him in his boxers. He moved his lips to her neck as he slid the robe tie undone. He could hear her breath catch at his slowness. His hands waited until his lips were done. Annabeth tried to divest herself of the robe but every time she moved her hands from his back or his hair or his boxer's elastic to do so, he would push his hips away from her and she would stop trying.

Percy lifted his head from Annabeth's throat and kissed up her chin, licked across her jaw line, rubbed his lips into her hairline and kissed down her t-section to her lips. He rested his forehead against hers and tried to catch his breath, but it mixed with hers and made him all the more urgent.

In the calm that followed as their eyes met in the moonlight and their foreheads kissed, Percy could see the lust in her eyes. And he knew he shouldn't have but he did it anyway.

Slowly Percy unravelled both his hands from her - one had been curled tightly around her waist and the other had been fisting her hair - and rested them both on her hip bones through the fabric that covered them. In the pale moonlight he crawled his hands to that damned vee neck collar and pushed each flap aside with his wrists and his hands held her breasts.

Annabeth's head was thrown back, arching into his touch and her moan probably woke the house. But he didn't care because she was reaching down his boxers and rubbing him into a diamond hard existence, pulling him free from the confines of the loose fabric. And now he was nearly as loud as she was.

He pushed the rest of her robe to the floor and lifted her, cupping her thighs to spread them around him, feeling the heat of her centre as it pressed into his abdomen. He knew he shouldn't, so this time he didn't. It had been over a year since they had done this, he wasn't going to do it against the wall.

Percy walked them to the bed, their lips tangling with their teeth and tongues. Annabeth must've sensed his worry and anticipation because she crossed her ankles behind him and effectively pushed him inside of her. She was so warm and wet and tight that Percy wondered why he'd ever tried to replace her, no other woman had elicited this feeling.

He was holding her hips to him and she was dragging her fingernails into the skin stretched across his shoulder blades. Both of them barely breathing despite their pants. Percy was rocking them and the bed, he was moving more erratically and without the constant rhythmic pace he had kept them at before. Annabeth's hands gripped his butt cheeks to steady herself as she arched higher into him and to drive him deeper into her.

The sheen of sweat on both of their foreheads was clear in the moonlight as they climaxed, shaking in each other's arms, Percy collapsing onto her, Annabeth's fingers twirling his hair as his face was hidden first by her shoulder then in her chest as she moved him to a position both of them would appreciate.

When they caught their breath, Percy rolled over - off of her - missing the heat of her skin. They both lay silent, looking up at the ceiling, basking in the gravity of what they'd done.

Annabeth rolled to her side, one hand reaching over, her fingers splaying in the small hairs that peppered his hard pectorals, her elbow rested on his equally defined abs. She closed her eyes and seemed to breathe him in. He looked over at her, meeting her eyes.

"We can't." He whispered.

"I know." She smiled, kissing him, possibly for the last time. Her lips moved languidly against his and her tongue was soft as it explored his mouth. He gripped her elbow, it had been digging into his stomach.

"We shouldn't have." He murmured into the kiss.

"Since when have we followed the rules?" She asked, her lips trailing down his throat as she straddled him.

He struggled with his next words, "We shouldn't." She was warm and wet and teasing on his stomach.

"Just one last time." Her voice was husky and low, his eyes shot open at how erotic it sounded.

"One last time." He agreed in an intoxicated state, not because her lips were moving lower. The finality of it hitting him hard.

For a last time it was an awful lot like their first time, starting slow and unsure and then building pace until they both rolled away from each other, breathing hard and clutching the thin sheet to their separate bodies.

"I should -" Percy began when he could feel his legs again.

"Yeah." Annabeth nodded, looking up and not meeting his eyes. He watched her throat rise and fall as she gulped.

He wanted to tell her he loved her, but that would have made their situation stranger than it was now. He wanted to ask her where they stood now, he didn't want to be her 'fuck buddy.' But he slipped on his pants and shirt wordlessly, making sure all the buttons aligned - maybe to ensure nobody recognised anything as off, maybe to spend more time with her.

"Do you want me to wake up Evan so you're not alone?" It was the hardest thing to ask, not just because the guy was his replacement but because it was a well-known fact that whomever you cuddled with after sex became more intimate with you in a 'love' sense, but he needed to make sure Annabeth was alright, especially after just losing her father, being alone would not be good.

Annabeth smiled and breathed quickly out of her nose like a silent laugh and she shook her head before watching Percy slip out of the door but hopefully not her life.


	12. Nightmares

It had been a month since that night in Annabeth's cramped bedroom. Neither Percy nor Annabeth had ever mentioned it, but how could they, neither of them had spoken since the morning after when they both pretended it never happened.

But it did.

And Percy couldn't get it - her - out of his head. He thought through their divorce, a simple one night stand would not have this effect on him, but it was so much more than a one night stand. That night had seemed to expand his previous confusion to the level of "Soul Consuming."

One night near Thanksgiving, when Percy was quite happily forgetting Annabeth, trying to replace her with thoughts of his latest conquest, he was woken by a sound as devastating as a black hole, so soul consuming he didn't know if he could calm her. Sophia was screaming at the top of her lungs. Screaming a vocabulary of two words. Crying for her mother amidst sobs of pain and anguish. "Mommy, no!"

Percy rolled out of bed, tripping over his sheets as he did so before he ran across the hall, almost ripping her bedroom door off of its hinges when he threw it open. He knelt beside Sophia and kissed her forehead before shaking her awake, all the while whispering, "it's going to be alright Soph. Baby girl it was just a dream. Nothing to be afraid of. I won't let anything bad happen to you." He hoped his low tones and soothing message calmed her.

Sophia woke up, but that didn't stop the flow of tears, in fact, she was weeping harder with her face pressed tightly to his chest. Soaking his shirt in her misery.

"Soph, what happened sweetie?" Percy's voice was hushed and concerned as he caressed her brown curls down the length of her back to her middle rib, his hand getting lazy until he was left cradling her head against his chest and rocking them back and forth like he did when she was an infant.

When she caught her breath and calmed a little, Sophia pulled away from his hug. "Mummy. Mummy was - and then she..." she was consumed by her sobs.

"Its okay, Soph it was just a dream." He pat her back as he soothed her. "Your mum's fine."

She shifted to sit more comfortably in his lap. "Can you call her? Make her come over?"

Percy swallowed uncomfortably but smoothed her hair and brushed it out of her eyes. "Of course." He kissed her nose.

He left Sophia hugging a teddy bear as he stepped out to make the call. She answered on the fourth ring.

"Hello?" He could hear voices in the background asking her about an order. She must have been at a restaurant.

"Hey, Annabeth. Look I know you're busy with Evan or whatever but Soph -" he was but off.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes." She hung up. He hated that they had become even more awkward, more stinted and disjointed and dysfunctional. A year ago this was his greatest fear, his unaddressed nightmare.

Twenty minutes later, Percy was busy cooking pancakes for Sophia who was sitting in bed still clutching her teddy. His doorbell rang and he turned off the stove, rushing to give his daughter the food before he buzzed Annabeth and Evan - Edward? – up to his apartment. He was nervous to say the least, this would be his ex-wife's first time of seeing his house, and this the moment of reveal would be the one that she would judge him on.

He could voices approaching down the hall. "Could you stop? I can walk without you pushing me." That was Annabeth. She sounded mad. It made Percy smile – almost sadistically, but a smile nonetheless.

"Sorry. Geez. You're in a mood." The man's voice was louder than Annabeth's, despite the late hour. He sounded exasperated. Percy opened the door for them jovially mere seconds before they knocked.

The couple was dressed formally. Annabeth in a dress he had seen before, a dress he had joked that he liked so much he wanted to rip it off her body, the memory of their shower running and the steam encasing them at the forefront of his mind. It was a blue dress, one full length sleeve and the opposite skirt side kissing her calf, much lower than the other side which hugged her mid-thigh. She had a thick dusting of foundation on her cheeks and her lips looked glossy and plump and kissable.

He smiled politely at them before showing Annabeth to Sophia's room. Right before they reached the open doorway Percy stopped in his tracks and Annabeth, who had been next to him, continued for a moment until she realised he had paused which was when she stopped to look at him incredulous.

"You look beautiful." He hadn't meant to say it. But that didn't mean it wasn't true. Her cheeks flushed. He brought his hand up to scratch his neck and she flinched, her slight, flattered smile deteriorating as she took a defensive stance. He was going to mention it, but he thought against it. "You seem mad, maybe we should wait until you've cooled off -"

"You heard?" Her eyes softened. Percy nodded.

"You okay?" He reached for her hand. Annabeth nodded, letting him take her hand into both of his. He rubbed his thumbs against her knuckles. He didn't even realise he was doing it. He let her go. Annabeth proceeded into their daughter's bedroom.

Percy momentarily watched from the door as she comforted her daughter until he heard someone clear their throat beside him.

"Look, Percy, I know we haven't been on the best of terms." Percy scoffed, turning to face Eric with his arms folded over his chest. He stepped out of the hall and into the kitchen, not wanting the girls to hear their conversation. "But I guess we'll have to be."

Percy cocked his head and picked up a glass, preparing to put it in the sink.

Eric continued, a smug smirk overtaking his features and stance, "Soph has already given me permission to marry Annabeth."

Percy wanted to drop the glass in his hands and watch it smash against the tiles, shattering like his heart. He wanted his ears to stop working and his sight to go fuzzy as the world beneath him tipped without him. But none of that happened as his nightmare came true.


	13. Happy

Christmas had passed without a hitch, not the way Sophia had wanted, but smoothly nonetheless. Annabeth had given him a list of the gifts Sophia had mentioned that she wanted throughout the year and together they had divided the list.

In fact, other than most of Christmas Day, they'd been doing a lot more together. Thanksgiving, for instance, when he had been invited for dinner. Which was a mixture of nice and hell with Eric glaring at him from across the table and Annabeth glaring at Eric because apparently he had just showed up. And New Year's Eve when he couldn't help but notice Annabeth's bruised lips and the nasty looking cut down one side. She had shrugged it off as the winter weather, but it had never happened before. He had his suspicions, suspicions he hated, but he couldn't say anything, she had agreed to Eric's proposal.

His ex-wife had even joined them on his birthday, without her fiancé, and had wished him a good day before taking him and Sophia out to lunch at a fast food restaurant to celebrate him turning thirty. She had been the bubbling beauty he had fallen in love with when he was seventeen and he couldn't take his eyes off her – he also couldn't say a proper two words to her about how he felt despite his ability to carry hour long conversations about nothing with her, to bask in a silence that only contained the sound of their mingled breathing. At one stage, Percy made a break for the bathroom to avoid conversation about who they were seeing. And he made the mistake of coming out with his jacket sleeves rolled up, exposing his forearms because the hand dryers were out of power and the paper towels were not stocked.

Annabeth saw him coming and smiled, causing a similar curve to reach his own lips as he wiped his hands on the back of his dark wash jeans. He could hear Sophia's giggles over the rattling of cutlery and common restaurant commotion because she was in the playground beside their table.

"Oh my god." Annabeth greeted him, annoyance lacing her every word, reminding him of every snarky comment she'd ever said. He nearly flinched as the memories became overwhelming, but all his worry was washed away when she smiled kindly at him again.

"What?" Percy narrowed his eyebrows, "is my fly unzipped again?" he chuckled, causing her to laugh at his failed attempt at humour.

"You've rolled up your sleeves." She put simply, shifting in her seat uncomfortably, the ruffle of her own jeans against the leather of her seat making an awkward sound as she moved.

"Ah," Percy made a noise of reaSallytion, placing his arms on the table in interest. Causing her to groan and roll her eyes as he smirked and shrugged his eyebrows once as if he was daring her to make her move. He knew what he was doing full well, he remembered.

/

He had come home on one hot, Californian summer day. Well, it was an apartment, but it was their home. Annabeth had been sitting at the dining table in the middle of the apartment's main room, her architecture degree notes strewn across the table, engulfing her in an array of facades and balustrades and parapets. He couldn't see much of her face as it was hidden by the long blonde hair that was falling out of her high ponytail, but he could make out the shadow of her concentration. Her tongue was sticking out of her mouth slightly, her teeth biting down on it as if to squeeze out intelligence. After his long day in the sun, it had been the most glorious of sights. His girlfriend sitting cross legged in his old summer camp T-shirt, unfazed by the way it hung off her shoulder.

"Hey," he called as he dropped into the seat opposite her on the long edge of the table, taking a page into his hands and reading her neatly sprawled essay on "Erosion of a Ballistae." He liked the slant of her cursive and the lack of crossed out words that he would have let litter the page.

The sound of Annabeth flipping through pages and scribbling down facts slowly faded as Percy sat longer. He could feel her eyes burning into him.

"Do you mind?" She voiced. That's when he looked up. She was staring at him, sizing him up as if she was wondering the point of his existence. Percy simply raised his eyebrows at her good-naturedly, if she had an issue with his presence she could easily express it. "If you're gonna waltz in here with your sleeves rolled up, at least bother to move a little closer or, better yet, completely distract me by getting rid of the crap on the table."

Percy chuckled, "What do you mean?" he asked playfully, knowing full well how much she liked his arms.

That's when Annabeth stood, revealing her legs to him, her booty short clad legs.

And that's when he understood her irritation.

/

That night, after an awkward goodbye where Percy had almost kissed the woman that was not his current girlfriend, as Percy tucked Sophia into her sheets, he asked her a question. "Is your mother happy?"

Sophia sat up then, undoing the last twenty minutes of his work. "She smiles a lot." She answered.

Percy sighed, "But is she _happy?_" He repeated, sitting on the mattress beside his daughter. Annabeth had been an actress, she could hide her true emotions.

Sophia looked at him, "I don't really know. She wears these long sleeved shirts she says she likes, but its spring. And she sleeps in my room a lot now, she says it's because I still have those nightmares where she dies, but I haven't had one in ages. She's even stopped singing."

Percy pulled his little girl into a hug.

"Daddy? She's not happy is she?" Percy shook his head awkwardly as it was rested against his daughter's head. "Will you make her happy?" Percy choked out his agreement in the affirmative.

A while later, Sophia asked another question. "If mummy marries Eric, does that mean I'll get a baby brother?"

_Shit._ Percy thought sleepily. _I hope not._


	14. Parent Teacher

Percy was nervous. Not first date butterflies. Not wedding day nervous when he felt sick to his stomach with happiness. And not nervous tears slipping down his cheeks as Annabeth squeezed his hand in pain as he drove her to the hospital where she would have his baby. And definitely not nervous like the way he feared Annabeth's reaction when she found out about Amy – both times.

This was a different type of nervous. A 'sick-to-your-stomach with nerves as you drive to your daughter's school for a parent teacher interview with your ex-wife whom you only recently were intimate with and you've now given her boyfriend permission to marry her even though you still maybe have–' no. It was definitely not _that _kind of nervous. Nope.

But he was nervous nonetheless as he reverse parked his car awkwardly in the diagonal parking space and sat for a beat as he steadied is heartbeat. He didn't have to acknowledge her, the teachers knew they were divorced. But he did have to be civil, Sophia would be with them.

He simply needed to sit next to his daughter instead of his ex-wife and all his problems would be solved.

Annabeth and Sophia were waiting for him outside the classroom, his daughter reading her reader aloud as he approached. Percy almost said something to announce his presence when Sophia hopped off her chair and stood in front of her mother, holding the slim paper back before her like she was reading a speech. Her words were static with her growing vocabulary and the new skill of comprehending the squiggles on the page. "The – dog – r-ran – to – the cat." Sophia closed the book around a single finger she was using as her bookmark and proceeded to act out the extravagant running movement.

"She gets that from you." Came a voice he recognised. His eyes unfocused from his daughter's antics and met the woman's, he smirked playfully – painfully – and took the seat next to her wordlessly. It felt strangely normal when Sophia bowed and both he and Annabeth clapped enthusiastically and she proceeded to leap into his lap in a hug which forced Annabeth to look at him at all times.

"Mummy, can you fix my hair?" was the sentence that broke the silence. Sophia was referring to the bun she had been sporting that had been shaken loose as she re-enacted the dog running after the cat, and the cat chasing after the mouse. His daughter shifted in his lap so that her back was to Annabeth as if she was offering her hair to her.

"Ah," he sounded, "what do you say?" Percy chided before he realised how fatherly he sounded. Annabeth looked at him curiously, almost proudly, but the emotion was just a flash.

"Please." Sophia apologised as Annabeth raised her hands to her hair and undid the 'do, her fingers working out the twists of her curls. Percy was mesmerised by the movement of her slender fingers in the pale yellow light as she braided their daughter's hair, spellbound by the three brown spots on the skin of his ex-wife's skin, standing out like a lone raincloud in a cloudless sky.

Annabeth must have felt his eyes on her because the next thing he knew she was pulling down her jacket sleeve to cover the bruises. Only then did he but two and two together. She smiled meekly at what must have been an angry expression and her eyes flickered with something deeper, a message only he knew how to decipher, it said "yes, you-know-who did that, but he doesn't usually and you should stop staring because we're not together and it makes you seem like you care."

His daughter once again shifted in his lap, giggling incessantly, her now extravagantly braided hair whipping his cheek all but softly as the hair tie caught his upper lip. "Mummy?" Sophia's laughter was cut short. Percy turned his face from his daughter at the sound of her fear. Percy noticed something different about his ex-wife, her demeanour was cloudy and her expression was dark and she looked like she'd gotten a lopsided haircut. He shook off the thought.

"Mum, your hair." Was all Sophia said. Percy watched the interaction warily but turned his gaze to his daughter's hands as she bashed his own hands hard but playfully.

What he saw through the corner of his eye was Annabeth push her hair in the centre, a gesture that should have been familiar after all the time he had spent with her. But it looked strange. Her hair moved too much, like it had a mind of its own, but that wasn't possible, it must have just been the lack of light in the hallway encompassing them. But for some reason her hair looked different, less natural. Maybe she'd dyed it a shade darker or got a new part. Maybe that's all it was, but Percy couldn't shake the feeling of dread, the shivers that skipped down his spine like a crepuscular shadow was looming over him, waiting for his comeuppance.

A voice broke his thought, "Mr and Mrs – um – Sophia's parents. When you're ready." An elderly woman poked her head from the classroom as a young woman and a tall boy walked out of the classroom, said boy waving to Sophia, something Percy didn't entirely a2ppreciate. Percy took his daughter's hand and pushed her off his lap as they walked towards the bright coloured classroom. "I'm Kathleen, Sophia's teacher." It wasn't until they sat down, in the four extremely low chairs laid out that Percy got a proper look at the woman and once he did he realised his daughter was right. The woman did look like his mother-in-law – scarily so.


	15. Almost the Whole Truth

Months had passed, Sophia had turned six, she had gotten her own bicycle, and he had taught her to ride it without training wheels. She'd gotten her own phone, too, courtesy of Eric. Something about him being there whenever she needed him.

Sophia was jumping off the walls with excitement. She had just had her birthday party. Even Percy had to admit the insanity of the jungle gym looked like fun. He had chatted away with some of the parents that had stayed. He knew them well from picking up and dropping off Sophia. Annabeth had been smiling contentedly as she spoke with a few of the women, most of whom wanted to see her ring and to know how Eric had proposed. Percy was curious as to how that happened too.

"He asked. I said yes." Annabeth shrugged, readying the cake. Eric came up behind her. Percy cringed. He saw her jump when his hands touched her back. She straightened almost instantly.

"That's not entirely true." Eric smirked. "She said 'no' like five times before she said 'yes.'" He laughed. Percy's jaw dropped. Annabeth saw. Their eyes locked and she looked like she was trying to tell him something, but he couldn't act upon it because the kids had smelt the sugary goodness of the chocolate cake. The party ended soon after that.

After the party - at around six - Percy and his daughter and her mother and Evan went back to Annabeth's house - his old house. The one he let her have during their divorce settlement - where he and his ex-wife gave Sophia her presents. Together. Like proper, non-divorced parents would. He even filmed the entire thing, loving the joy on his daughter's face and his ex-wife's hand on his forearm as she too smiled up at him.

He had turned the camera off before Evan had handed Sophia a box. She had looked shocked, but greedily tore the paper surrounding the gift anyway.

Her eyes widened. Annabeth looked angrily at Eric. Percy may have growled. Inside the clear Plexiglas box sat the latest iPhone. Percy liked talking to Annabeth before he got to his daughter. Eric was taking that away. Eric shouldn't have needed to buy something so expensive for Sophia to love him, but at the same time, he did.

"Just in case you ever need me." Eric had announced. "My number's already in it. So is your mother's." He smirked at Percy like he'd won a competition. One that Percy had only suspected they were having.

"Can we talk?" Annabeth had found her voice. She pulled Eric by his sleeve and out of the living room. But she didn't take him far enough because Percy could still hear their spat. He was glad that Sophia was too preoccupied with pulling Levon out of the wrapping paper pile to hear it.

"What do you think you're doing?" Annabeth's voice was raw, like she had been yelling a lot lately. "You're not her father. Why would she need to contact you? Heck, you're not even my husband."

"She'll need to contact me if you're being a bitch like you are now."

Percy wanted to interrupt but he was all too aware that that would only make things worse. So he didn't. He could hear Annabeth gasp lividly. Could imagine the indignant face she was pulling and the stance she would take, her hands on her hips like she wanted to look aggressive but just looked sexy instead.

"If I'm being such a bitch, she'll call Percy. He is her father after all." She rubbed it in nice and deep, Percy smirked.

"He's only around on the weekends. What about the other days?" Eric sounded smug. Percy wanted to interrupt, he was questioning his love for his daughter and that was not okay with him.

"Are your kidding? He'd be around if the divorce let him." Percy nodded. Wait. Annabeth was standing up for him? "And we only got divorced because I was being unreasonable and hormonal and-"

"A bitch?"

"Pregnant."

Percy nearly died.

He held his breath and waited for Annabeth to continue. It was bad enough he'd left her. Worse that he had left her a single mother. Unforgivable if he had left her with a child and another on the way.

"I had found out the day before, apparently I was two months along, and then the morning he signed the papers I miscarried." She sounded like she was breaking at the memory.

He could faintly hear the "I'm sorry" that left Eric's lips. He resented it. It was his to say. Percy bit the inside of his lip, closing his eyes, trying to make the pain go away.

Percy had just said his 'goodbye' to his daughter, he was still on school grounds as he waited for the assembly to finish when his phone rang. It was Annabeth. He pretended he didn't have caller ID.

"Hello?" He pressed a finger to his other ear and stepped outside the school gates.

"Hey, Percy. I was wondering if you could pick up Soph for me this afternoon. You know, have her for an extra day?"

Percy was shocked, he walked in a circle. "Yeah, sure. I mean, it goes against the rules, but 'since when have we followed the rules?'" He smirked as be quoted her from that night in her childhood room. It felt like a lifetime ago yet he remembered it like it was last night. "But just so you know for next time, you should schedule _all _your dates on days you don't have custody. That's what I do."

There was a silence on the other end. "I-" Annabeth interrupted her own protest. "All?" Her voice was small. "All your dates? So you've had a few?"

Percy couldn't tell if that was sadness it jealousy or disgust in her voice. "Not the point, Wisegirl." The old nickname - the term of endearment - slipped out, but he couldn't take it back. "Point is, enjoy it."

He hung up because if he didn't, he would have said more. Something along the lines of: 'I'm kidding.'


	16. The Call

Percy looked over at his current girlfriend, wondering how long it was going to last. It had been three weeks. Longer than the last girl. Three long, tiring, satisfying weeks. But Grace was a whinger. She was forever whining about how he wouldn't let her meet Sophia. It wasn't because he didn't want her to think this was permanent, although that was a considerable factor, he didn't want her personality to rub off on his innocent, perfectly-content-with-her-world-the-way-it-was little girl. She was wearing nothing but his shirt as she sat on the kitchen bench, begging him - quite literally - to step out of his tightening jeans. At the exact moment she jumped off the counter and laced her arms around him, his phone rang. _Thank. The. Lord._

It was an unknown number and Percy nearly hit ignore, but something told him not to.

"Hello?" He asked, shaking Grace off of him and walking to the living room.

"Hello, are you Mr Jackson? Sophia Chase's father?" And elderly female voice asked from the other end.

"This is he." Percy's eyebrows scrunched in curiosity and confusion.

"Sorry for the interruption but we couldn't get hold of her mother. I'm Sue Baptiste from Saint Augustine's." Percy hummed in recognition, anxiety filling up his throat like cement, anxiety to know why she was calling. "I'm afraid your daughter's in Saint Vincent's Hospital Emergency Room."

"What?" Percy tried not to shout. Grace looked at him like he'd grown another head.

"She was in P.E. today and she just collapsed we couldn't wake her.

Percy could barely breathe. He was out the door without another word to Grace. "Thanks Sue." He tried to sound calm even though the elevator had gone metric and was moving millimetre by millimetre down the shaft towards the ground floor and his hands were so sweaty that his phone was slipping.

"Gary Lancaster, our principal, is with her, shall I tell him you're on your way?" She sounded so relaxed. Percy sprinted past Lenny who looked at him curiously. His car didn't start on the first try. "Mr Jackson, are you still there?"

"Oh, yeah. Yes, tell him I'm coming." He hung up after that, not caring if it was rude.

He made sure his seatbelt was buckled because he was driving so dangerously fast. He tried to call Annabeth a few times, getting her voicemail each time and he told Siri to text Grace where he was going.

_GOING TO ST VINCENTS. SOMETHING HAPPENED TO SOPH._

Her reply was quick and uncompassionate. _KEEP ME POSTED. _

Annabeth still wasn't picking up. Where was she? He needed her now, more than ever.

He parked - if you could call it that - he was taking up three spaces he was that crooked. And he was pretty sure the door didn't shut properly when he lamely pushed it behind his running frame.

"Sophia Ler- I mean, Sophia Chase." He panted to a receptionist. "I'm her father."

"Level four, room four-oh-six." She spoke, her eyes fixed on her fingers as they flew over a keyboard. He tried to call Annabeth again, telling her what was going on, again, as he rode up the elevator.

That's when he saw a man he recognized, the bulky, grey haired build of the school's principal.

"Gary, right? Percy." He offered his hand as the man stood.

"Ah, Mr Chase." Percy either didn't have the heart to correct him, couldn't be bothered with the explanation, liked the sound of it or his brain was working too overdrive to even notice. "Has anyone informed you of the circumstances?"

Percy shook his head. "Thank you for staying with her." They sat down. Percy looked down the sterile hallway.

"Well, she's has had a few scans, and I think they know what's wrong. She collapsed, you see. I think they're just waiting for you."

Percy nodded again. As if on cue a woman exited room 406 in crisp white scrubs, she pulled down her mask. A man followed her, mirroring her actions. Both Percy and Gary stood, each shaking both of the doctor's hands.

"Mr Jackson?" The woman gestured to Percy, "Is Sophia's mother here yet?" Percy shook his head, the man behind her whispered something. "Oh yes, of course." She scolded herself.

"I'm Doctor Watson and this is Doctor Woodley." She gestured to the man beside her. "Your daughter, Sophia, is in a stable condition. However, it's not all good news. You may want a seat."

Percy refused, gesturing for her to continue.

"Little Sophia has an under formed immune system."

Percy sank into the seat behind him. The plastic was hard and cold, but he couldn't feel it. He couldn't feel anything. "She will need a bone marrow transplant and then to be placed under house arrest for approximately six months."

Percy was at a loss for words, he wanted to ask how this could have happened, how they couldn't have known.

The male doctor piped up. "It's a miracle she's survived this long."

Percy did not want to hear that. He could have gone his whole life without the last 30 minutes of this nightmare. Gary was attempting to comfort him with a hand on his back and concern in his eyes.

Doctor Watson continued, "She will have to undergo chemotherapy," he needn't say it would be brutal, "where she will be left incredibly vulnerable and her body may reject the transplant even if it is a hundred percent match. She may not survive."

"She will." Percy said. Determined. Broken.

"We'll keep Sophia in the cancer wars for a little longer, you should be able to take her home tonight. Once we find a suitable donor we will take her to level six, quarantine. Where she will stay for two to three months. She is still unconscious for now."

"Can I see her? Just to sit with her?"

"Not yet. We are still running tests. Your ex-wife should be out soon." And with that the doctors were gone, leaving Percy equal parts hopeless and confused. Where was Annabeth?

"Do you want me to stay until she gets here?" Gary asked softly, like only a teacher could. Percy shook his head, thanking him for the offer and for his trouble. "No worries, keep me updated and don't be afraid to ask for anything." And with that he left. Somehow ten times as compassionate and considerate than Grace had been.

Percy lifted his eyes to the ceiling so gravity wouldn't work on his forming tears. 'Cancer' read the signs. He wondered how he had missed that. He texted Grace of what was happening. He knew he probably shouldn't, but he needed to tell someone. Then he decided to call Annabeth and this time he could hear her phone ringing. From down the hall. He looked over and found Eric, holding Annabeth's phone in his hands, talking to some doctors and walking into a room. Percy followed.

The curtains of room 428 were closed and he couldn't hear any voices.

"Hello?" Came Annabeth's voice, "Percy are you there?" Her voice came from in his hands. Through his phone. He hung up and knocked on the door of room 428.

Eric opened it, ushering him in.

The sight made his tears fall harder. Annabeth was propped up in the hospital bed, leaning against a mountain of pillows. Her cheekbones were prominent and her skin was pale – sickly pale not the beautiful ivory it usually was. He could see the skinny outline of her body beneath the thin fabric of her green hospital gown and the itchy sheets. Her previous smile was gone, as was the shine in her eyes he had fallen in love with.

"Percy?" She asked. "Percy is everything okay?"

He surged towards her, not even in control of his body anymore. And only one thing was comprehensible. _She doesn't know._ He buried his face into her shoulder and loosely draped his arms around her.

"Percy?" She whispered, tears filling her voice as she rubbed his back soothingly, evidently not looking at Eric - who had previously been about to give her back her engagement ring – due to the feeling of her nose pressed into his collar bone, her warm breaths pooling against his neck. "Where's Soph?" She must have seen the time on the clock. 2:30. School would be out, and only just. Not long enough for him to have picked their daughter up and get here.

Percy's weeping eyes met her clear grey orbs. He very nearly kissed her thinning lips.

That's when Doctor Watson and Doctor Woodley walked in and explained to Annabeth and Eric and Percy (again) what had happened and what needed to happen and the risks.

Percy watched as Annabeth's face turned from confused to understanding to scared to terrified to determined through to apologetic. The last one he didn't understand.

"Can we go see her?" She squeezed Percy's hand, it was a nice touch for her to include him, not so nice for the inclusion of Eric.

"No, Annabeth," Doctor Woodley chided, "You, yourself have just had your third and final bout of chemo and your ovary removed. Besides, your daughter is still asleep. You will both be released tonight." And with that, both doctors were gone.

"Chemo? Removed?" Percy looked up at Annabeth from his seat beside her bed.

"Babe, you didn't tell him?" came the tenor voice of the sole occupant of the room that Percy could justify permanent hatred for. Probably the only person on the planet he actually hated for a reason he was unwilling to voice.

Annabeth completely ignored Eric's remark. "Ovarian cancer." She said stiffly, "Two doses of chemo, which didn't work, so an ovary was cut out and I had a final dose of chemo to make sure it stays gone." Annabeth admitted, almost proud. "Not a date." She smiled like it wasn't a big deal, like be hadn't jumped to that awful conclusion.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, holding her again.

"No, I'm sorry, it's my fault." Annabeth spoke into his sleeve, her voice muffling against the fabric, but he knew he'd heard her correctly.

Percy's head shot up, nearly knocking her chin back. "Don't you dare say that." He wanted to kiss away the pain. "Don't you dare." Instead, his green eyes bore into hers regretfully.

Eric cleared his throat.


	17. Mortality

"Hey Soph, you're going to stay at mum's for a while. Is that okay?" Percy stroked his little girl's hair from her face as he held her hand, walking her out of the hospital, Annabeth latched on to her other hand like it was a lifeline, one he know understood. The doctor's had told them the less interruptions to a daily routine, the better. This was their best option. Even if he didn't like it. "Is there anything you want from home?"

Sophia had taken her diagnosis fairly well, considering she was only six, she probably didn't understand too much but Annabeth had made sure she understood the basics – the fact that she was sick, really sick, and that she couldn't see her friends for a while after the process of 'getting better' had started. Annabeth had always been one for education which was how she had become an ambassador for the Education Foundation, a group that built schools in developing nations, and eventually why she decided, after a career of acting, that she wanted to be a teacher.

Sophia nodded in answer as he strapped her into the car seat of his car.

Surprising everybody, Annabeth opened the other back door and sat in it carefully like she was afraid of ruining the dissolvable stitches, wincing silently as she so obviously bit through the pain. Both Percy and Eric looked at her but they both accepted it, Percy more than Eric. They both seemed to understand that as a mother, Annabeth wanted to be with her baby and that was fair enough, especially considering the circumstances.

Percy drove as carefully and slowly as he could on the highway, he was, after all, carrying precious cargo. Because of his lack of velocity, it took much longer than expected for them to reach his apartment, so long, in fact, that Eric was already leaning against his car in impatience as he waited to take his girls home. And by "his", neither man was quite sure which "his" was meant.

They walked into the building and Sophia slapped out her usual secret handshake against Lenny's hand as he asked her about her day, if she was okay, and laughingly told her that her father had run out of his apartment when he got the call about her with his pants around his ankles because he had been on the toilet. Percy wanted to correct him but the laughter erupting from his daughter as she teased him was too adorable to deny.

He could have done without his ex-wife's "Mmm-hmm," however, because now he knew what image she had, and it was one where he hadn't been on the toilet, she was sure to interpret the scenario Lenny had innocently painted as one of sexual desire and lust.

The silence of the elevator was familiar and miserable but nobody commented, Percy was still smiling smugly at the fact that his ex-wife had asked her fiancé to stay outside and laughing self-deprecatingly as his daughter pointed at him and laughed, "Silly Daddy! I'm alright."

Everything was going silently great, Sophia's hands residing in both of theirs until they reached the hallway of Percy's apartment. His apartment was locked. That could only mean one thing. A detail, in his haste, Percy had overlooked.

"Oh, babe, you're home." Came a sultry female voice, perfectly timed with the clatter of his keys on the table. Percy bit his lip, not looking at Annabeth, refusing to look at anything but the keys lying on the table an arms distance from him.

"Uh, yeah, Grace. And Soph and Annabeth are here too." He announced, just in case she was going to do something. Something very similar to what she had done earlier when they were alone. When that was acceptable.

"Oh," she appeared, wearing his T-shirt from earlier. God knew what was or wasn't underneath. Annabeth covered Sophia's eyes. "Oh Percy, she's adorable." Grace walked towards Sophia who had moved her mother's modest hand from her eyes and cocked her head.

"Who're you?"

"Oh, you haven't told her?" Grace slapped Percy on the arm playfully. "I'm gonna be your new mum." She turned back to Sophia and Annabeth, obviously dismissing Sophia's confusion and clearly noticing Annabeth's stern look and rolling her eyes in response. "So sweetie," she bent, her arms on her knees to level with Sophia, no doubt his shirt showed her behind. "Now that you're dying do you have a list of things we're going to do together?"

"Whoa, Grace!" Percy stopped her, but not soon enough.

Sophia burst into tears. "I'm - I'm d-dying?" She sobbed and she choked. Annabeth picked her up, sending Percy and Grace a disgusted look.

"No, no of course not. Of course not. Let's go get Mr Cuddles. Hmm?" Annabeth did her best to soothe and to leave the couple simultaneously. "NO sweetie."

"Annabeth." Percy called out to her as she walked the weeping Sophia to her room. His arm left hanging in the air as his reach for his ex-wife was cut off by Grace's movement in front of him.

"What did I do?" The half dressed woman asked, feigning innocence by batting her fake eyelashes and pressing herself against him. Percy pushed her off.

"Get out." Was all he said before he followed his daughter and his ex-wife to Sophia's room. "I'm sorry about her." He tried to say but Grace was right behind him.

"You can't kick me out!"

_When did she move in?_

"I'm pregnant!" She shouted at him, breathing hard. Percy's jaw dropped. She couldn't be, _could she? _Through the corner of his eye he saw Annabeth turn away. Sophia pulled her head out of her closet but gave no indication that she'd heard a thing.

"Okay then." Annabeth held Sophia to her side. "We're going to leave you two to-." It was clear she was unsure of what to say, whether to wish him or her 'good luck' with the other. And Percy was certain that she guessed how they would make up. "Soph, say 'goodbye' to your dad."

Sophia hugged him and he kissed her cheek. He watched them leave. Sophia's room looked so bare, again. He hated it.


	18. Wig

Percy was sitting, squirming in the hard plastic chair, his butt feeling numb against it. He hated the thick tube in his daughter. She hated it too. That's why she'd been crying moments before, moaning at how she'd rather die than have the treatment again. That had made him cry, which had made her cry more. It was a never ending cycle that Percy was rapidly finding hard to deal with.

Annabeth seemed to be the only one staying strong. Of course, she had lived through the treatment, so she was more understanding of it than Percy was. But that didn't mean tears weren't running down her cheeks, because they were, like a waterfall. One he wanted to stop, and he didn't care how he made it stop, as long as it was him - not Evan - to do it.

Annabeth broke the silence. "Soph, baby, how about we do something fun?"

Sophia looked up at her, so vulnerable and little, innocent and young. Annabeth sat a small travel bag on the bedside table and let Sophia unzip it. She squealed with delight when she saw the contents.

Her giggle was uplifting to say the least.

"Daddy, tell me what you think."

Percy nodded, confused. The next thing he knew, Sophia was sporting a brown bob. But it couldn't have been her hair, her hair was short and stubbly from the chemotherapy. He had shaved it himself. It was shorter than his hair.

The shiny brown locks cuffed her jaw making her look like a news reporter, too grown up. He shook his head. Watching as his daughter ripped the hair from her head and threw it to the floor, revealing the spikes he had grown used to now that she'd been bald for a week.

That's when he understood what was in the bag Annabeth had seemingly produced from nowhere. Wigs

Next came a green highlighted black wig that was choppy and made her look like a six year old punk vampire. "You'd let her wear that?" Percy asked Annabeth disbelieving who shook her head, laughing at his disturbed expression.

"Not until she got her nose pierced." She smirked, sticking her tongue out at him. He did the same, glad Eric was a work - wherever that was.

After a few blonde wigs with side fringes and front fringes, some corkscrew curly and some dead straight, all of which Percy crinkled his nose at, Sophia pulled out the last wig, the others now scattered across the bed and floor.

It was a cheap wig, one from a pop up Halloween store. And it was red. Princess Ariel red.

Sophia tried it on. Again, it wasn't quite right. The red made her skin look green with illness and made the red blotches of her bloodless face more prominent.

"Mummy, can we swap?" Sophia asked, holding out the tangled red wig like an offering.

Percy watched the exchange more confused than before. Annabeth looked at him, apologizing with her softening eyes. She proceeded to reach behind her head and tug on her hair, removing it and handing it to her daughter.

"But it looks so real." Percy stated, dumbfounded, once he comprehended what had just happened.

Annabeth looked at him, her blonde flowing locks gone, a spiky crew cut was all that was left. "When I found out I needed chemo, I shaved it off and made it a wig." She admitted before continuing with unnecessary justification. "I figured, if I was going to go bald anyway, I may as well go bald with dignity." She spoke like she had rehearsed the line, like it wasn't something she believed wholeheartedly.

Her point made sense to Percy, what didn't was the fact that she was embarrassed about her ordeal enough to hide it under a wig. She used to think cancer survivors should be proud, and she had never been embarrassed about her body before.

"Does Eric know?" _Of course he would know, what a stupid question_, he mentally kicked himself. What fiancé wouldn't know about their bald fiancé? What man wouldn't know about his fiancé's cancer? What did that make Percy on a scale of one to ten of good ex-husbands?

Annabeth nodded, "It was mainly to hide it from you and Soph." She admitted, pulling on the tangled red wig.

_But Soph knows._

Looking into her eyes, he understood. She hadn't wanted him to worry, or care, or feel guilty. She wanted to seem happy and healthy and in love. But was she any of those things?

He turned his gaze to their daughter who was posing again. The brown ringlets of Annabeth's hair matched the shade and buoyancy of her old hair.

"Mummy, can I keep it? That way you can be Princess Ariel and marry Prince Eric." Sophia implored. Percy's stomach lurched.

"I don't think Evan would like it." Annabeth admitted, looking at her daughter, eying the tube that connected her to a machine none of them knew the purpose of, save for its capability of bringing them all to tears. Percy wanted to get up and dance when he heard the term of hatred come from his ex-wife's mouth.

"Who's Evan?" Sophia asked curiously, evidently confused by the name.

Percy wanted to laugh because now it sounded like a family joke, but if Emanuel hadn't been mentioned they still would've been acting like a happy family. One happy family.

"Grace isn't pregnant." He blurted out, remembering that he hadn't told his ex-wife of _that _development, or lack thereof – she probably thought he was a worse father than he was by spending more time with his family than his pregnant girlfriend. Annabeth gazed at him, trying to hide her smile. Sophia, on the other hand, was trying to hide her disappointment.

Without breaking eye contact, Percy strode over to where Annabeth was and touched the corner of her smile with two fingers. She didn't flinch or shift away from him. She let him.

With his other hand he pushed back the red wig until it hit the floor with a satisfying and bristly whoosh.

She would never again be 'Princess Ariel.' He would make sure of that.

Slowly - giving her time to pull away - Percy bent his head down, pressing his forehead and nose to hers, their breaths becoming one. "You don't need to wear a wig to be beautiful." He whispered before pressing his lips to hers.


	19. Diagnosis

The doctors soon walked in with the test results. Percy and Annabeth sitting closer but unsuspiciously. The only person dropping the facade was Sophia, who was beaming and watching their every movement, giggling incessantly whenever their hands brushed, most of which was completely accidental.

"Annabeth, Percy, for you want to step outside for a moment?" The doctor asked, Doctor Woodley. Both of them nodded. Percy wanted to slip his arm around her, even put his hand gently on the small of her back, but he wasn't sure of the ex-wife/husband-for-two-years-and-they-had-just-had-their-first-kiss-since-they-had-slept-together-a-year-ago-and-she's-still-engaged etiquette.

Annabeth slipped her hand in his, more for comfort than for affection. But Percy took what he got gladly. Relishing the warmth her hand produced and the gently squeezes she would send up his arm whenever the doctor mentioned anything remotely risky or medical or the word "only."

"Alright," Doctor Woodley breathed, holding his clipboard. "We've only found you two from a donor pool of around six hundred." Percy looked over at Annabeth, knowing what was coming, knowing statistically that he would not be their first pick but they would pick him anyway because his ex-wife's condition ruled her out of the pool. His fingers squeezed hers in return, "Annabeth, you're a closed match than Percy, however, with your recent recovery from your own chemotherapy, it would be ineffective and unwise for you to donate."

"Okay." Percy said, Annabeth too ashamed to speak. "It's okay." He shrugged again, he had, after all, mentally prepared for this - but that didn't make it any easier and it certainly wouldn't make the operation any less painful.

"It will be more of a risk to use you, Percy, but at least it's more likely to be effective." The alto tone of the male doctor continued. In any other occupation, a man with a voice like that would have been ridiculed, even given modern society's general acceptance, but as a doctor, it made the man seem more sympathetic to your situation and your loved one's conditions.

"Okay." Annabeth spoke, shaking herself confident. "You okay?" she turned to face Percy.

"Yup." He popped the 'p' and turned back to the doctor. "When are we doing this?"

"Whenever you're ready." Doctor Woodley nodded like 'now if you want.' And that's what Percy wanted, for his little girl to get better as soon as possible.

He squeezed his ex-wife's hand one last time before he followed Doctor Woodley to the Operation Room, where six other doctors were gearing up in what must have been the doctor's version of a hazmat suit.

He stripped. Piling his clothes on the table as he slipped on a hospital gown that left the entire back of his body exposed before he shoved his clothes into a zip lock bag and handed it to one of the nurses. Percy then did as he was instructed and lay face down on the operating table, feeling strange as his backside was left in full view of the medical staff.

"So we're drilling into the hollow of your hips and then, like a vacuum, we will extract the bone marrow." Doctor Woodley's strangely soothing voice told him before Percy felt the anaesthetic being injected into his back..

"Sounds like fun." Percy murmured sarcastically before the world went fuzzy and he couldn't feel anything anymore.

When he awoke, he couldn't feel his hips - specifically the space between the small of his back and his thighs- and Annabeth was sitting beside him, smiling down at him. Not wearing her wig.

"Hey." He croaked out.

"Hey." She held his hand in both of hers and kissed it.

"Is Soph asleep or-" Percy began, still drowsy but determined to hear what she had to say.

"Evan's with her." That hurt. "Saying 'goodbye.'" Annabeth smiled kindly as she finished her sentence.

Percy laughed, "I thought he was 'Prince Eric.'"

"So you _do _know his name!" Annabeth's eyes were wide in amusement before she closed in on herself, slouching and deflating in demeanour. "I only said 'yes' because he hit me when I said 'no.' and no, that was the only time he ever did." Annabeth looked down.

Percy felt ashamed that he had let her go through all that. "Is he in there alone or-?"

Annabeth scoffed, "I'm not that stupid, some poor nurse is in there watching his every move, as per my request." She patted his hand shifted her gaze downward.

Percy followed her gaze. There was something missing. Her hand was lighter than it had been before his operation.

Either she had ditched her engagement ring or when the doctor's took out his bone marrow they supplemented it with superhuman weightlifting powers.


	20. Teaching And Quarantine

The government was stupid, Percy decided. Despite Sophia having majority of her treatment during the school holidays, they were convinced she had missed too much school. But she was in quarantine now, for the next six months. Her teacher's said she'd have to repeat. Annabeth did something sneaky.

Annabeth did a final test through Berkeley University and qualified as a home school teacher.

Percy quickly sold his apartment, moving in to the spare bedroom of his old house. He was prepared to sleep on the couch if it made people more comfortable but both females had just laughed when he pointed this out.

"Besides," Sophia announced, "The couch is Eric's bed."

At this information, Percy's eyebrows furrowed. He dared not turn to his ex-wife during his confusion, but his curiosity was devastating - so overwhelming he had planned to ask Sophia what she meant when Annabeth wasn't around.

"Sophia." Annabeth's tone was not harsh but held the potential to be so.

"What?" Sophia asked innocently, "He slept on the couch all the time after Grandpa's funeral."

From the corner of his eyes, Percy watched his ex-wife blush a glorious pale pink, her short hair doing nothing by the way of covering her embarrassment.

Living in his old home wasn't as painful as he thought it would be. He had his girls, his healthy - well, recovering, - baby girl and non-engaged ex-wife with whom be might have a chance at redeeming himself.

But he didn't move in to romance his ex-wife, he moved in because there was no other way their divorce agreement would work.

No one other than Percy, Annabeth and Sophia (and the occasional doctor) was allowed inside, but Percy and Annabeth were allowed to leave, just not at the same time.

Percy hated the sound of his daughter and his ex-wife fighting, especially when it was over something so petty as this.

"I hate this!" his daughter's voice screeched above the sound of silence. "I hate you!" at which sound Percy promptly stopped washing up and dried his hands, moving towards the dining table where his ex-wife now sat alone surrounded by the simply mathematics equations she had been teaching to Sophia.

He placed a gentle hand on Annabeth's shoulder, careful not to touch the bare skin of her clavicle. "You okay?" he asked her, looking more at the half-finished maths in his daughter's handwriting than he dared to look at his ex-wife.

"Yeah." but her voice was small and unsure, Percy squeezed her shoulder once before following his daughter to her bedroom.

The door had been slammed shut in anger so Percy was forced to knock thrice, announcing, "It's Dad, Soph." Before he opened the door into her room.

The walls were the first thing that caught his eye. They were still painted the pale canary yellow he and Annabeth had painted them when they found out about Sophia, but upon the walls hung photographs in picture frames that he recognised. Many of them were old, old enough for all three of them to be smiling at the camera, the glint of a gold band on his left hand. Also, many of the photographs had been ones he'd taken, after the divorce, of just Sophia and him. How Annabeth obtained them, he wasn't sure, he just liked the fact that Eric or whatever wasn't in them.

His daughter was strewn on her bed haphazardly. He walked to her bedside and sat beside his little girl.

"Hey Soph?" he stared quietly, "You didn't really mean you hate your mum, did you?" he patted her back soothingly.

"I did." She said defiantly.

"I hope not." He reprimanded kindly.

"I did. You hate her, why can't I?" she retorted, rolling over and sitting up against the wall. Percy didn't move though, he just sighed.

"Actually, I don't." Percy admitted with a quiet smile. "I could never hate your mum."

Sophia scoffed, making Percy wonder where his innocent little seen year old got this attitude. "You used to say you wish you never married her, you said you hated her."

Percy nearly died. He shuffled up on the singe bed so that he could cradle his little girl in his arms. He had always thought she'd been asleep for those fights, after all, both he and Annabeth had saved their anger for late at night.

"Oh, sweetie." He wasn't quite sure what to say, how to tell his child that sometimes people get angry over little things and yell things they don't mean at loved ones. "I never meant that, I was just angry."

"It sounded like you meant it." Her voice was small and muffled and tear streaked.

"But I didn't, honey. I promise you I didn't." Percy pleaded, almost with himself. He had honestly forgotten he'd ever said those things, and he had never regretted a sentence as much as he resented and regretted that one.

"Don't promise me. I'm not the one you said you hated." How his daughter ever got so smart, Percy would blame her mother for that. Sophia slipped out of his embrace and stood on the floor beside the bed. "I'll apologise if you do. Deal?"

Percy chuckled, "Deal. But you've got to give me time." He stuck out his pinkie, mirroring his daughter, linking their smallest finger as the deal was struck. Sophia cocked her head to one side, begging for an explanation, "I need to go buy flowers or something." He reasoned, loving the smile it brought to his daughter's face.

But she shook her head at him, making it his turn to cock his head to the side, "Just kiss her, she'll forgive you."

Percy nodded, filing that piece of information away because he couldn't just take his ex-wife's face in his hands and kiss her until neither of them could breathe, she'd probably slap him. But he would be sure to kiss her repeatedly after.

Together, the father and daughter duo stepped out of the bedroom, Sophia running to her mother and jumping into her lap with a giggle. An exasperated sound spilt from Annabeth's lips as she was hit by Sophia's weight and Percy watched as his little girl kissed her mother's cheek and his ex-wife apologised for pushing her too hard.

Trapped in her mother's embrace, Sophia gazed at him, mouthing the words, "your turn" with a smile. He nearly choked. He was not ready for this, which he tried to tell his daughter through awkwardly hidden gestures – a subtle man Percy was not.

But as he found out the next day, neither was his ex.

A shrill sound of fear had woken Percy up in the night. He made a point of switching on all the lights as he made his way from his bedroom to his daughter's, where the sound was emanating from.

But he wasn't the only one to have woken up. Annabeth had too.

They bumped into each other in the hallway.

Annabeth's hair was flattened awkwardly on atop her head, as if she had rolled out of bed and hadn't had time to do so much as flick her hair so it sat properly. But that wasn't what caught Percy's eye. Her eyes were wide and her mouth formed an 'O' as she realised what they were both wearing. More accurately, what they weren't.

Percy was sporting just a pair of navy silk boxers and a white undershirt, nothing special or anything she hadn't seen him in before. But Annabeth was wearing full length tights that made her mile long legs seem longer and her calves and thighs seem more toned. She was wearing a t-shirt that was evidently not hers as the sleeves were falling down her shoulders. That and the fact that she had never been a Beatles fan. He had.

And if not winded by the fact she was wearing his shirt, a shirt he had had an obsession with when he was nineteen and had completely forgotten about after their divorce, Percy's breath was certainly taken away by her prominent erect nipple that told him of her lack of bra.

"Sophia." She reminded him, her voice sounding like a sultry whisper - but that could have been his mind going hazy.

"Right. Sophia." He repeated, tearing his eyes from Annabeth and opening their daughter's bedroom.

Both parents cooperated to shake their child awake, which surprised Percy although it shouldn't have. Together, he and his ex-wife catered for Sophia's needs, trying to stay strong as she told them about her dream – one where she died and they were happier without her.

Percy helped Annabeth to carry the seven year old to his old bedroom, because Annabeth was adamant that Sophia shouldn't be left alone.

"Stay with us?" Sophia had whispered, biting the thumbnail of the hand she was using to pull up the sheet with. Only moments ago he had placed her on the edge of his old double bed and now she was comfortably situated in the centre of the mattress. Percy was about to say no when her vulnerable voice broke their stunned silence again. "Please?"

Percy was prepared to break his little girl's heart with his "no" but Annabeth caught his eye, her grey eyes warm and inviting. "It's okay." She nodded at him, climbing beneath the sheet on the far side of the bed.

Shocked, but not daring to decline the offer, Percy crawled as softly as he could on the other side of Sophia, his head resting on the pillow unevenly as he planned to leave once the girls were asleep. The next thing he knew, his ex-wife's hand was covering Sophia's stomach, right next to where his was.

The temptation to shift his hand in "slumber" was too strong for Percy to deal with. Especially seeing as three months ago, he would have gladly denied he loved the woman.

But he didn't need to make the move because a heartbeat later, their hands were touching, their fingers intertwining, and Percy had to wonder how he coped without the comfort of her hand in his. On instinct, he began rubbing her knuckles soothingly, but he dare not look away from his daughter's slumbering face for fear of lifting his ex-wife's hand and kissing each of her fingers repeatedly.

"You okay?" A soft voice asked him. He could feel her eyes on him now that Sophia's head had lolled forward into his chest.

He took a breath, trying to gather his thoughts. "It's hard not to be upset when she's so upset, you know?"

He heard her hum in agreement. "Thanks for being there."

"Always."

"No, really. Eric wouldn't have."

At that moment Percy let his eyes meet hers, unafraid of the affection she would see in them. "He was a jerk." He pointed out.

Annabeth laughed softly, "Could you not have pointed that out before I started dating him?"

Percy felt the sudden and overwhelming need to tell her something. To hold up his end of the deal. "I'm sorry." He said, hoping to project every meaning of the phrase in the one.

"I'm kidding." Annabeth spoke, squeezing his hand like he was being an idiot. Back when they were married, she would kiss him when he said something stupid, making his say dumb things all the time. A squeeze of the hand was almost as good. "I mean, I didn't give you relationship advice, I don't think I could have." She looked at him strangely, hopefully.

_She didn't get it. _Disheartened, Percy repeated the words. "No, I mean, I'm sorry. For everything. For causing all of this crap to happ- wait what? What do you mean 'couldn't have?'"

Annabeth's eyes closed momentarily, her smile clearly plastered on her face, her tiredness also. She squeezed his fingers once again and he got the message, deciding against moving from his position once the girls were asleep. Allowing himself to find peace and slumber til morning also.

On a day soon after that, Diane Chase called. "How are you girls?" She asked, her voice static through the video phone.

"We're good, Gram. Both of us are getting better." Sophia held up two thumbs. She was wearing Annabeth's hair, Percy had braided it earlier. He stood just out of shot so Diane couldn't see him.

"Annabeth, you haven't visited in forever, when are you coming?" Diane implied she was lonely.

"Well, Soph's in quarantine at the moment and Percy's about to start directing a new big budget film, so it might be a while." Annabeth laughed good-naturedly as she admitted her situation to her mother.

"Percy?"

"Yup. Daddy's staying because mummy loves him."

Percy looked at Annabeth, who was blushing. They hadn't kissed since that day in the hospital and certainly hadn't touched each other since her father's funeral. Let alone had the 'love' conversation or even the 'relationship' one. But her admittance that night after Sophia's nightmare was enough for the time being.

"So, no wedding? No Eric?" Diane sounded hopeful.

Percy stepped into the camera's square field of view.

"No Eric, never again." He looked from Diane to Annabeth. "But I wouldn't rule out wedding just yet."

"Yes." Annabeth blushed, it sounded like she had whispered her cheering for her favourite football team. "But not anytime soon."

"If you insist." Percy relented.

Diane had just been watching them, not saying a word. As had Sophia, who had been watching the conversation like a ping pong match. "So, am I setting a date or what?"

"No." Annabeth smiled dreamily.

"Not yet." Percy's grin was just as goofy.

"Soon." Sophia clapped out. "And then a brother."


	21. Jealous

Percy loved how close his daughter and Annabeth were. And he loved how close he and Sophia were. However, he missed the closeness he and Annabeth had once shared. But that all changed halfway into the quarantine period.

A different doctor had turned up to take a blood test from Sophia, differentiate her medication and make sure Annabeth and Percy were doing the right thing.

Both Percy and Annabeth had developed a system during these times, because Annabeth couldn't handle the squirming of Sophia as she cried and begged not to have another blood test. Annabeth would not be in the room at such time unless there was a need for her to be, such as Sophia's screams for her. Or this new doctor.

The woman walked into their house and Annabeth's face immediately dropped. The woman was wearing a pinstripe pencil skirt and a tight white blouse, and Percy recognise his ex-wife's expression. Jealousy.

Percy ushered the doctor in and took her to the dining room, where Sophia sat colouring in at the table.

"Hello." The woman bent over to level with his child, but strategically placing her backside in view of Percy. He looked away. Half out of modesty, half because his ex-wife was watching him. All because he didn't want to ruin what he had been gradually building with his ex. "I'm Doctor McCarthy. You must be Sophia."

Sophia nodded, but Percy could see her beginning to protest, the tears welling against her lids.

"Annabeth," Percy started, "Do you want to-?" he referred to her usual stepping out of the room as her daughter protested against the giant needle.

"No."Annabeth was determined and Percy could guess why. She didn't want to leave them alone with this extremely attractive doctor.

"Okay." He chuckled, just to annoy her. Loving, somewhat sadistically, the annoyed glance she shot him and then the rolling of her eyes.

Percy sat, gesturing for Sophia to sit on his lap so that he could hold her still. The brunette doctor tied up her hair, her shirt lifting from her skirt's waistband, before she pulled out the instruments she needed from her back. To steady herself, the doctor placed a hand on Percy's forearm.

Normally, such a thing would not have been protested. Especially not by Percy. But it felt weird somehow – wrong – to have this woman touch him with his ex-wife present, never mind his daughter.

Later that night, Percy asked her what her problem had been.

"She was trying to seduce you." Annabeth dried the now clean plate he handed her.

"And?" he teased, not daring to look at her.

She flicked his with the droplets of water that clung to her fingers, getting him right in the face. "And Sophia was in the room, how disgusting is that?"

"Right." The sarcasm and disbelief obvious in his voice.

Annabeth sighed, "Why? What do you think I had an issue with?" but she sounded like she could care less as she placed the plate in the cupboard beneath the stove. Percy loving the sight of her jeans separating from her shirt as she did so.

Percy made his voice incredibly low before he spoke. And he trapped her in the corner of the kitchen she was occupying but he was sure to stay far enough away to maintain personal space bubbles. "I think you were jealous." His eyes locked with hers, her blush highlighting the grey of the orbs.

"You might be right. You might also have been hallucinating." She strolled past him and put her tea towel on the edge of the bench as she pulled out the plug in the sink and died her hands.

"Ah." Percy grinned. "That would have to be it. Nothing else would explain it, Wisegirl, would it?" the old term of endearment slipped out and Percy couldn't stop it.

Annabeth seemed to freeze, her back still to him. "What did you just say?" she sounded angry.

Percy's smile faltered as she turned around to face him, "I said, 'that's the only possible explanation, isn't it?'"

"No. No, you called me 'Wisegirl.'" Annabeth took as step forward. "And just for that," she took another step, almost levelling with him, nose to nose. Percy was convinced she was going to hit him. "I was jealous." Her voice was barely above a whisper and he nearly missed it because instantly his lips were being devoured by hers and nothing else on the planet mattered.

Instinctively, Percy walked them to the counter, their lips still meeting in a passionate dance of fire and desire. Annabeth shifted her hands from his cheeks to his mid-back as he lifted her, his hands squeezing her thighs, until she sat on the kitchen bench. Her hands tugged at his shirt playfully as her lips moved from his in search of air.

Percy however, didn't need oxygen. He needed her. Hence why his lips sought her neck, her jaw, her shoulder. His hands were also in search of something. They travelled up and down her sides until he found the base of her shirt and slipped his hands beneath the hem, gliding his hands back and forth and up and down her bare back and stomach and ribcage. Relishing in both the feeling of her soft skin and the sound of her gasping breaths and her quiet moans.

"Bedroom." Was all she said, her voice low and raspy and sultry. And he was glad she had, otherwise Sophia could have caught them in the kitchen. Percy wanted to keep her legs wrapped tightly around him but she had other ideas. Bounding from the bench, Annabeth grasped his hand and dragged him, almost literally, to her bedroom, his old bedroom. A sense of familiarity washing over him like a wave.

As soon as they were enclosed in the privacy of the bedroom, Percy pushed Annabeth onto the mattress, their linked hands bringing him down on top of her, their bodies moulding perfectly.

In less than a moment, their bodies entangled and their clothes crumpled and fell like raindrops on the floor, scattered and rapid.

Hands and lips and teeth and love were everywhere, all at once at such a pace that Percy's brain was left behind. Probably thrown on the floor when his shirt came off, or when Annabeth had pulled down his boxers with his teeth.

But somehow, as he was preparing himself at her entrance, his brain caught up with him. "Wise Girl," he whispered, louder than he had been moaning it before. Her back dropped from its arch and she looked at him. "Are you sure?"

She didn't say anything. Instead, her legs locked around him and she pushed herself up, pulling him down as she did. And Percy wondered why he stopped, why he doubted.


	22. SIx Months Of Just Us

Percy loved his job. He couldn't lie. It was so much fun he could barely call it a job. Usually. He had met Annabeth thanks to his job. Which, in turn meant Sophia. So how could he ever resent it?

Percy had spent the entire day reading out the same dreary line after line after line, such was the first world problem of a breakthrough actor who had been cast the lead role of a new blockbuster.

But in all honesty, Percy had tired of the beautiful women that he had been introduced to, they were all the same in personality, their only differences were their hair colour and the scale of their make-up heaviness lying between trawled on and fifth layer of paint.

Until she walked in.

Her hair was long and plain blonde, tied up in a ponytail atop her head. And she was beautiful, porcelain skin highlighted with her naturally clear grey eyes and barely a hint of make-up. But that wasn't what drew Percy's attention to her.

The thing that made her stand out was the fact that she sauntered straight up to him and shook his hand confidently. Her smile genuine and huge, no the forced grimace he'd received from every other woman he'd met that day. She was refreshing.

"I'm Annabeth." She spoke sweetly, not pompously as everyone else had.

"Percy," he replied, liking the firm shake of his hand she gave him, and the warm smile on her perfectly plump, lip-gloss-free lips, making him want to fall to his knees and kiss the back of her hand.

She easily got the part, the lines flowing naturally from her lips. There was no question about her suitability to the role, nor the spark between them, whether it was a romantic fire or a best friend spark, Percy wasn't sure, but he liked that she spoke to him without jealousy, or infatuation or even recognition of their gender difference. She acted like she was family, like he'd known her forever and they could talk about anything. And he liked that, a lot.

From that moment, the two were told to spend almost every waking moment with each other as they were to play onscreen lovers, well, a couple that was falling slowly in love from a best-friend stage. So they did.

Until one day they took out the 'almost' from their instructions, and then, sometime later, the dynamics of their friendship changed. Percy stopped referring to her as "Annabeth," and she stopped calling him, "dude." These names changed to "Wisegirl," and "babe" and neither of them were disappointed.

But now he wasn't just an actor, he was a director. And that meant he was away for longer. And right now, he did not want to be leaving his girls. Yap. And Levon. He didn't want to be leaving his girls and Levon right now.

He had just moved out of the spare room and graduated to his old bed. His old room.

Sophia was having another of her depressed weeks. She wouldn't talk or eat or get out of bed. It had happened before and she had been fine, the doctors had said it was normal, but that didn't mean he wasn't worried.

And then there was the issue of the three blood tests he wouldn't be able to hold either Sophia's or Annabeth's hands.

But it was too late to decline the job now, he had agreed to it a full year ago and it was his job to direct it.

"Call me if you need me. Or if you want to talk. Or if you want to know what time it is in London." He kissed his little girl. She nodded, giggling softly, clutching a worn teddy, the bear that was once Mr Cuddles.

Percy turned to Annabeth and gave her the biggest, sloppiest kiss he could because Sophia was watching and he wanted to hear her giggle again.

She did. The sound was angelic and glorious and he wanted to make it his ringtone so he would always hear it.

Annabeth didn't appreciate it though – the kiss, that is - pulling him in for a proper kiss with one hand on his collar and the other covering their daughter's eyes. "Be safe." She whispered. "I love you." They'd told each other that before, but not this second time around. Of course, he felt the same, but maybe they were moving too fast.

Nah.

Percy didn't want to say 'Too' because that implied that he'd only said it because she said it and that was not why he was saying "I love you." Loud enough for Sophia to hear and giggle and swing Mr Cuddles by his arms and then once again as he rested his forehead against this ex-wife slash girlfriend's forehead. "I want daily reports and Skype me when the doc's here, okay?"

Annabeth gave him a haughty look, "Not if its doctor what's-her-face."

Percy laughed, kissing her again before banging down and kissing Sophia on the cheek and nudging their noses together and telling her he loved her too before he – upon request – kissed Mr Cuddles.

He waved again and blew kisses and sincerely regretted closing the taxi door behind him.

"So, Soph, it's just us girls for a little while. What do you want to do first?" He heard Annabeth ask - was she his girlfriend if they'd been married or was she still just his ex - say through the open window as the taxi drove him to L.A.X., but he didn't get to hear his baby girl's answer.


	23. Hearts R Shaped As So Because Love Bumpy

Percy was in London for his last day. Well, his last six hours seeing as his flight was at midday. And it was a nice enough day. A day that he would have loved to be spending with his girls. The warm sun was out and the park looked evergreen. And they would have had a picnic by the fountain in the centre. It was a day that almost made him want to call Annabeth and tell her to bring Soph to him so they could spend a week in London.

But he couldn't. He needed to make a decision. He knew what his decision was, he just didn't know which one to pick. All the rings in Tiffany's were either too similar to the first one he had given Annabeth or too much like the one Eric had given her.

He was walking out, had given up, when he saw it. It sat alone, in a corner, glinting in the cool winter sunlight like a diamond. Well, it was a diamond.

And there were two, one slightly smaller and without the centre diamond, but otherwise exactly the same. Encrusted with the same sapphires and jades. A perfect mix of his previous engagement ring - it had jades - and something new.

He asked the price, not really caring, and purchased the two. He also bought a plain gold chain because the ring wouldn't fit his daughter yet.

He was welcomed home with a huge hand painted - literally, it was painted with hand prints - 'welcome home, daddy!' sign and the smell of freshly baked cake. He also got another of the cards Sophia would mail to him in London. It was an A4 sheet of paper folded in half and coloured in, the lettering neat but clearly Sophia's. Healthy little Sophia's.

It wasn't too horrendously cold outside despite it being the week before Christmas, so they wrapped themselves up in coats and each other and ate cake beneath the clear sky and twinkling stars.

Sophia still wasn't allowed in the pool, but she sat on the edge with her ankles in the water, how she did it? Percy didn't know, the water was freezing.

He and Annabeth were sitting inside the pool fence on two deck chairs pushed together. Her head was rested in the crook of his neck and her fingers were entwined with his.

The moment was perfect.

Percy wished he wasn't nervous. He'd done this before, he shouldn't be nervous. To the same woman, for gods sake. What was there to be nervous about?

Everything apparently.

Shakily, Percy stood before Annabeth, who had sat up due to his movement. "Wise Girl," he ushered Sophia with a single finger to his side as well, "Soph. You two are _the _most important people in my life. Would you officially re-enter my life?" He let go of both girls hands and knelt, pulling out Annabeth's ring first because if Annabeth said 'no' after Sophia had said 'yes,' he would be in a world of hurt.

"Wise Girl," he could hear the hope and fear in his shaking Californian accent, "beautiful, intelligent Annabeth." He could have continued complimenting her for days, "Will you do something stupid for once in your life and marry me? Again?"


	24. But It Always Comes Back Together

Annabeth's eyes shone in the starlight. She may have blushed but that could have been the cold. Her nose was dusted red also.

"I've already used up my one stupid thing." She spoke as if she was telling the stars, not someone as uninfluential as himself. It was gratifying and terrifying and Percy loved the way her voice sounded. He did not, however, appreciate her words.

His stomach plummeted. _Here comes the 'no,' _he thought.

"And that was divorcing you." She lifted him from his knees by his elbows as she herself stood too, and kissed him. He nearly dropped the box that held the ring, but he managed and eventually - laughingly - got it in her finger. Kissing her again as she giggled at the way he fumbled.

"Now, Soph," he sounded stern, even to himself, he took his daughter's tiny but growing hands in his own. "You're just as important to me as your mum," he loved the giddy smile plastered on the little girls face, his little girl. And the dreamy giggle she sounded when he told her she was important. "And that means I need permission, approval and go-ahead from you too."

He pulled out the purple mesh pouch with the ring on a chain in it.

"Will you accept me back as your permanent father and promise to never get sick again, or scare your mother and I like you did until you're a rebellious teenager with a nose piercing?"

She giggled. "Promise daddy." She hugged him, allowing him to clasp the necklace behind her neck.

"But no nose piercings, okay?" Percy asked her to make the deal with him.

Sophia shook her head cheekily, her head jolting down as she laughed at his expression.

Her eyes widened comically when she saw the ring on the end of the necklace.

Annabeth's did the same when she saw their rings almost matched. "I've got something for you too." Annabeth announced, sprinting inside.

Percy looked to his daughter who shrugged up at him. But before he could ask his daughter what was going on or follow his fiancé inside, Annabeth was back and in her hands was a mustard yellow envelope that looked awfully similar to the one that held their divorce papers.

She nudged him and he opened it. Inside was a certificate. He could barely make out the gold lettering in the dark.

_'THE OFFICIAL NAME CHANGING OF SOPHIA, DAUGHTER OF ANNABETH CHASE AND PERCY JACKSON, FROM SOPHIA ELIZABETH CHASE TO SOPHIA ELIZABETH JACKSON!'_


	25. Wedding Papers

**This one's a tad shorter than all the others, sory about that.**

Percy held the door open for his fiancé and their daughter, Sophia giggling about how "only Prince Charming would do that." He shared a glance with Annabeth who nudged him playfully, indicating her faith in him.

The place hadn't really changed since last time he had been there.

Except Sophia. Last time they were here, she wasn't.

"Jackson's?" they were ushered in to the judge's office by a perky blonde. "Judge Brian Stewart will be with you shortly."

Percy looked over his daughter's head to see Annabeth's reaction. She looked as shocked as he felt. Mischievous and shocked. This would be fun.

"Ah, Mr Jackson, how are you?" The older man walked in holding the required certificate. He was yet to see Annabeth whose face was covered by Sophia's - who was one her lap - head.

Percy shook his free hand. "I'm good, Your Honour, what happened to you, though, are you still a divorce arbitrator?"

The judge shook his head, "Oh, no, divorce is depressing. All the shouting and the hate. But marriage is something hopeful, you know, the love before it all goes sour. It's funny, you'd be surprised how many couples I've divorced come back to be remarried." The man chortled but Percy just smiled and nodded knowingly, like he wasn't surprised. "And how's your ex-wife? And Sophia?" He asked, noticing the girl sitting on a woman's lap, though unsure of who the woman was.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Annabeth piped up, smirking at the surprised judge as she popped her head up from behind their daughter, extending her hand around Sophia for a handshake.

Judge Brian Stewart looked stunned momentarily, his features then transforming into a sly smile.


End file.
